
Class 

Book 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 







W^y^^o^ >^^-o-^: :>H-o^: ?>K)^ :>^kkC?^ 



A WEEK IN 

NEW YORK 

By Ernest IngersolL 



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RAND.MCNALLY8:C0S 
ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO THE 
AMERICAN METROPOLIS. 



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THROUGH CARS VIA 

Wabash R ailroad 

FROM 

New York ^^ Boston 

TO 

Chicago ^ St. Louis 

WITHOUT CHANCE. 

Leave New York, Grand Central Depot, G.OO i).in., and Boston at. 3.00 p.m., pa^sint^ 

NIMGMRK I=ML-L-.S 

Nest niornini; at 7.15, where a stop of ten minutes is made in order to give 
tlie passengers a good oiiportunity to view 

THE Greatest Cataract in the World. 



Solid Vestibuled Trains 

FROM 

T(3LED0, DETROIT, or CHICAGO 

TO 

St. Louis, Kansas City, 

St. Joseph, S Council Bluffs. 

Transfer made in Union Depot, St. Louis, for all Points 
West and Southwest. 



Pullman Buffet Sleeping Cars, St. Louis to Salt Lake City, via 
Kansas City and Denver, without cliange. 

Best Equipped Railroad in the West. 

SHORT MILEAGE. QUICKTIME. 



The Famous Wabash Dining' Cars on all Through Trains. Meals 

Served on American Plan at Uniform 

Pi'ice of 75 Cents Each. 



For ratos, time fables, maps, and all desired information, call on or write 

H. B. McCLELLAN, F. CHANDLER, 

(ieneral Eastern Agent, Gen'l Pass'r and Ticket Agent, 

40'.) Broadway, NEW YORK. ST. LOUIS, MO. 




Up-town Store of Lord & Taylor, cor. Broadway and 20th Street. The Oldest 
Retail Dry Goods Firm in New York. 



OUR SIGNS ENLIGHTEN THE ENTIRE MORLD. 



Successful Advertising 



ALWAYS INCLUDES 



Si<5QS paipted 09 U/all8,= 



EBarps, apd pepees. 



ALL SUCCESSES have signs in every city and town 
in the United States, and WE have done the work. 

We will give you an estimate of cost, ans'wer any 
question, or call on you personally. 

The R. J. Gunning Co., 

Advertising Sign Contractors, as? Dearborn street, 

Chi ICT^GO. 



SIGNS PAINTED ANYWHERE ON EARTH. 

MAPS AND GUIDKS 

TO ALL OF THE 

PRINCIPAL CITIES 

AND 

Every Country in the World 

Globes, Map Racks, Spring Map Rollers, (Jerman Maps, Wall and Pocket 
Maps, Historical Maps, Classical, Biblical, Historical, Anatomical, Astro- 
nomical, Pliysical and General Atlases of all kinds kept in stock. Address 

BMD, McIALLY & CO., Map PnMisliers ana Engravers, 

16!3 to 172 Adams Street. CHICAOO, 



"THE LHTEST" BOON TO MKNKIND. 

An Electric Exercising Machine. 




Curing Neuralgia. 

(Sponge Attachment.) 



Treating Rheumatism. 



It IS one of the most compact and complete exercising machines ever 
puut. It IS made in polished cherry, oak, mahogany, ash, or antique, and all 
th^ parts are nickel plated. It is cheap, ornamental, and dm-able. It will 
Mtord mstantaneous relief to all persons affected with Nervous Headache 
Hlieumatism, Lumbago, Neuralgia, Varicose Veins, Catan-hal Headache, 
i'ain in the Joints, Pen Paralysis, Telegraphers' Cramp, and has beneficial 
and curative effects upon all bodily aches which are the result of exposure 
or nervous exhaustion. • 



NEW YORK: 

Rooms 353, 255. 257 Stewart Bldg., 
280 BROADWAY. 



CHICAGO: 

79 Adams Express Buildine, 
DEARBORN STREET. 



The Royal Blue Line 

BETWEEN 

New York and Washington 

IS OPERATED BY THE 

Jersey G6iitr[iUBaili.^B.&0.l|.ns 

VIA PHILADELPHIA AND BALTIMORE. 



The entire equipment is brand new and consists of 
the finest Baggage Cars, Coaches, Parlor and Sleeping 
Cars ever built by the Pullman Company. 



THE TRAINS ARE VESTIBTJLED FROM END TO END, AND 
PROTECTED BY PULLMANS IMPROVED 

HNTI-TELESCOPING DEiZICE. 



ALL, THE CARS IN ALL THE TRAINS ARE 

Heated by Steam and Lighted by Pintsch Gas 

UNDER DEVICES CONTROLLED BY THE SAFETY CAR 
HEATING AND LIGHTING CO. OF NE"W" YORK. 



NO EXTRA FARE. 

Passengers occupying Parlor Car seats or Sleeping Car 
berths -will' pay the ordinary charges for same. 

This is the only line running trains from New York in 

5 HOURS TO WASHINGTON. 

Ticket Offices: 71, 172, 261, 415, 944, 1140, and 1323 
Broadway, 737 6th Avenue, 264 West 125th Street, and 132 
East 125th Street. 

Brooklyn: 4 Court Street, 860 '^'ulton Street, and 98 
Broadw^ay. 

Station, foot Liberty Street, N. R. 




Y6C0. 



1891 



Copyright, 1891, ky Rand, McNally & Co. 



tW 






INTRODUCTION. 



In view of the fact that it has been necessary to mention in the following pages 
the names of many men and places of business — stores, theatres, hotels, restaurants, 
transportation companies, etc. — coupled with the fact that "guide-books," unfortu- 
nately so called, are often prepared primarily in the interest of certain advertising 
patrons, and hence are both partial and untrustworthy, the makers of the present 
book feel called upon to say distinctly, that in no single case has any remuneration, 
direct or indirect, influenced them in anything herein written or omitted to be 
written. 

The writer was left quite free to shape the matter as suited his judgment, 
regardless of "what the left-hand [the publisher] was doing," and the only persons, 
from A to Izzard, who even knew that they or their establishments were to be men- 
tioned, were some theatre-managers and a few hotel-keepers, from whom certain 
information was asked. The first-named forgot to send any free tickets, and the 
hotel men never gave a single invitation to dinner! 

Advertisements appear as such in this book, in suitable form; but there is not 
a paid-for commendation, nor a disguised advertisement, from cover to cover. 



RAID, McHALLY & CO. 

Printers, Publishers, 

ENGRA VERS, 

ELECTROTVPERS , 

LITHOGRAPHERS, 

CHICAGO AND NEW YORK. 



GQaps and Guides 

TO ALL THE 

PRINCIPAL CITIES 

AND • 

Every Country in the World. 



MAP PUBLISHING AND ENGRAVING A SPECIALTY. 



CONTENTS. 



1— General Facts as to New York City, Page 9 

2 — The Arrival in New York, "30 

3— Getting About the City, - - - - - - " 51 

4 — Theatres, the Opera, and other Amusements, - - - - " 73 

5 — Racing and Athletic Sports, "88 

6 — Suggestions as to Shopping, - - " 100 

7 — The City's Parks and Squares, " 105 

8 — The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Egyptian Obelisk, - " 120 

9— A Tour of the City, " I47 

ID — The Rivers and Harbor, - - - " i79 

II— A Ramble at Night, "201 

12 — Sunday and Religious Work in New York, - - - - " 218 

13 — Educational Institutions, - - • - - - - - " 243 

14 — Art and Architecture, ..." 255 

15 — Clubs and Societies, -------- " 260 

16— Military Affairs, - - - " 269 

17 — Hospitals, Dispensaries, and Nurses, • . . - " 275 

18— Metropolitan Benevolence, • - - - - - ■ " 278 

19— The Markets of the City, "285 

20— Brooklyn, - - . "289 

21 — Seaside Resorts, ----- . - . " 298 



THE SAFEST, CHEAPEST AND MOST 

Convertible Currency 

Is what every traveler desires to provide him or herself 
with, whether visiting' Europe, the West Indies, 
Bermuda, Mexico, California, or any- 
other part of the World. 



THIS COMPORT IS ALONE FOUND IN USING 

Cheque Bank Cheques, 

WHICH ARE 

AVAILABLE AS READY CASH 

at upwards of 1 ,000 of the principal hotels in Europe, and at 
3,000 Banking Houses in all parts of the world. 



They can be cashed on board the principal steamers that 

leave the port of New York for Europe, as well as 

on the Cuba Mail Steamers to Havana, and 

Atlas Line Steamers, West Indies 

and Central America. 



The Cheques are only good when signed by the owner, whose name is 
registered at the date of purchase, and who is provided with a special letter of 
identification. 

UNUSED CHEQUES CAN BE CASHED ON RETURN AT THE 
CURRENT RATE OF THE DAY. 



These Cheques can be purchased at National Banks in nearly all the 
principal cities in the United States and Canada, or from the general agents, 

E. J. Mathews & Co., ' 

2 Wall St., new YORK. 



LIST OF FULL PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS. 



The City Hall and Printing House Square, 
The Grand Central Depot, .... 

The Grand Union Hotel, 

The Harlem Bridges, 

The Madison Square Garden, . . - . 
Base Ball Grounds, 155th Street and 8th Avenue, 
The A. T. Stewart Retail Store, 

In Central Park, 

The East Drive— Central Park, 
Junction of Broadway and 5th Avenue, 

The Produce Exchange, 

The New York Cotton Exchange, - . - 
Junction of Broadway and Park Row, 

Union Square, 

A Sound Steamer, ...... 

A Yacht Race, ...... 

Fifth Avenue, Looking North from 51st Street, 
The Brooklyn Bridge, - . - . - 
Manhattan Beach, 



0pp. Page 



16 

34 

38 

66 

82 

96 

104 

108 

114 

148 

150 

155 

164 

168 

187 

188 

224 

288 

302 



St Denis Hotel 

COR. BROADWAY AND ELEVENTH ST., 

NEW YORK. 

OPPOSITE GRACE CHURCH. 



European Plan. Rooms $1.00 and Upward Per Day. 



^^URING the past year the St. Denis has been en- 
WJ larged by a new and handsome addition, which 
about doubles its capacity. All the latest improve- 
ments have been placed in the new building, with a 
large and very attractive new dining-room, connecting 
with the old, well-known ''Taylor's Restaurant." 

William Tatlob. 

HOTEL HUNGARIA 

■zi WNION SQ\JKRE, 
Between 14th and 15th Streets (East), NEW YORK. 



TT^HE Restaurant and Cafe of this Hotel have been well known 
|<^ to the public the last fifteen years for serving the best 
Table d'Hote Dinner in New York City, and furnishing 
the finest, purest Hungarian, Rhine, and French "Wines at mod- 
erate prices. 

It is the rendezvous of eminent artists, authors, actors, and 
the traveling Europeans. 

Table d'Hote f)ii\i\ei* fi'oin ^ to §, ^^ C^ei\t^. 

MEALS A LA CARTE. 



Neumuller (Sc Schaefer, Proprietors. 



GENERAL FACTS AS TO NEW YORK CITY. 





I HE principal part of the City of New York stands 
upon Manhattan Island, which is surrounded by the 
Hudson (or North) River, on the west ; by the 
I- outlet of Long Island Sound or East River, on the east; 
and by Harlem River on the north. The island, con- 
secpiently, is long and narrow, measuring, in a somewhat 
\^g_ north-northeast line, 13)^ miles from its southernmost point 
at the Battery to its northernmost extension at King's Bridge ; and ranging from 
2}^ miles wide at 14th st. to considerably less opposite Central Park, and finally 
narrowing almost to a point north of 150th st. An immense territory north of 
the Harlem has been annexed, however, so that now the city extends along the 
Sound to Bronx River on the east, and to Yonkers on the north. The total 
length of the metropolis, north and south, is 16 miles, and the total present area is 
over 41 square miles, including several islands in the East River and in the Harbor. 
Manhattan Island is a mass of rock of very ancient age — generally regarded as 
Archaean — which forms a part of the primeval shore of the continent, and is con- 
tinued southward as far as the Blue Ridge reaches, and northward to and beyond 
upper New P3ngland. The substance is chiefly mica-schists and gneisses, meta- 
morphosed, twisted and upset into the greatest confusion. It abounds in interest- 
ing minerals in great variety, and is extremely hard to dig out ; yet enormous 
masses have been cut down and used to fill depressions, or carted away in order 
to reduce to the level of street-grade the once very irregular surface of all the 
central part of the island, an exemplary remnant of which appears in the diversity 
of Central Park. 



10 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

The marks of glacial action are everywhere apparent,- and the gravel drift and 
sands of the Ice Age overlie the rock in many places. " Every outcrop of gneiss," 
remarks Dr. D. S. Martin, "is a 7-oche vwittouiee, smoothed, rounded, grooved, 
and scored by the passage of the great ice-sheet. Beautiful examples of these 
phenomena are to be found in Central Park, as also of stranded erratic bowlders, 
often of large size. A few miles south of the city runs the 'great terminal 
mofaine,' which has been traced across the country from the ocean to Minnesota. 
It covers Long Island with a deep mantle of bowlder-drift, and forms the elevated 
ridge on which the reservoirs, cemeteries and Prospect Park are located. It 
crosses New York Bay at the Narrows, forming the green hills on either side, on 
which the forts stand, and then passes westward across Staten Island." Toward 
the southern extremity of the island the foundation of the buildings rests in these 
superficial deposits, and, in the case of some of the very tallest, upon piling and 
concrete driven into ancient beach sands. The laying of the foundations of these 
enormous structures is a most interesting process to observe. 

To the harbor and the rivers surrounding the island a special chapter is given 
hereafter. 



History, Population and Statistics. 

A very brief summary of the History and growth of the city is all that can be 
given. It was in 1609 that Hendrik Hudson sailed into the bay and ascended the 
river which perpetuates his memory. He learned enough about the island, which 
three centuries later became the home of a million and a half people, to ascertain 
the name of the aborigines who dwelt upon it — the Manhattans (if we discard 
ancient exactness in spelling), and to induce the merchants of Amsterdam to send 
out trading vessels the very next year. These and other ventures were so profit- 
able, that in 1614 a chartered trading company built, among other forts, one on the 
southern extremity of Manhattan Island. In 1623 a new corporation and colony 
was substituted, and in 1626 this island and much other territory was bought from 
the Indians. The fort, which was the first permanent structure on the island, was 
a small redoubt of earth, replaced in 1633 by a fortification 250 by 300 ft. square, 
with palisades and stone corners. It stood on the blocks now enclosed by Bowl- 
ing Green, Whitehall, Bridge and State sts., and its guns commanded the landing. 

The settlement gradually enlarged along the East River bank, and the 
present Stone st. is a part of the first road laid out, and was the first road paved 
with stone. Twenty years later the growth of the town had been such that when 
a palisade was thought necessary against Indian incursions, it had to be placed 
as far away as the present Wall st. in ordfer to include all the houses ; but it was 
not until 50 years afterward that streets began to be laid off north of that point. 

In 1664 the Dutch possession, then under the control of the eminent 
Stuyvesant, passed into the hands of the English navy, and was at once granted 



GENERAL FACTS AS TO NEW YORK CITY. 



by King Charles T. to his brother, the Duke of York, who naturally changed the 
name of the colony from New An-ksterdam to New York, called the Heere Strat 
Broadway, and otherwise reorganized and vivified the c|uiet little trading colony 
after the energetic English fashion. The colony took part in the war against the 
French, both by sea and by land, but its history was unmarked by any great cir- 
cumstance until the oppressions of the British government culminated in the 
" Stamp act" which drove New York to unite with the other colonies in the War 
for Independence. The money and patriotism of New York, and its central 
position, not only gave it a leading place in both the councils and the army of the 
colonies, but made it an object of special attack by the British. In September, 
1776, Washington was defeated on the hills of Long Island, and the city and 
port fell into the hands of the enemy, who held them until the end ; and the 
anniversary of the evacuation, Nov. 25, 1783, is still celebrated as a local holiday. 

The reoccupied city then became the capital 
of the State and of the Nation. Here the first 
Federal Congress met, and here Washington 
was inaugurated first president in 1789. (The 
local newspapers and illustrated magazines for 
May, 1889, a propos of the centennial of that 
ceremony, contain a mass of agreeable informa- 
tion and pictures in regard to the city of that 
day). Prosperity came with peace, and at the 
opening of the present century the city contained 
over 60,000 population. The expenses of the 
war of 1812 were liberally contributed to by the 
citizens, especially in the equipment of the navy 
and privateersmen, and many of the present har- 
bor defenses date from that time. This war, 
also, was a source of prosperity, and after its close New York began that career of 
commercial growth which has swiftly led to its preeminence. The first steamboats 
in successful operation anywhere were launched here in 1807. Public improvements 
began vigorously after the war of 18 12, and gas was introduced in 1825. That year, 
too, saw the completion of the Erie Canal, which was the greatest help New York 
ever had in its rivalry with other ports, and has been of inestimable advantage. 
In 1832 cholera carried off 4,360 persons ; in 1835 a conflagration swept away 
property worth $20,000,000 ; and in 1837 the long remembered financial panic 
ruined almost everyone who had survived the earlier calamities. Nevertheless 
the town grew steadily, and when the Civil war broke out in 1861, it could spare 
many thousands of men and untold treasure to sustain the Union. The most 
important historical incidents since the restoration of peace are the career of the 




■-rj 



OLD FEDERAL HALL. 



12 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

" Tweed Ring," broken about 1S70, and the granting to the city of the " charter 
of 1S73," wiiich is the present organic law of the municipality. 

Population. — At the beginning of the century the population of the city, which 
then extended north about 2 miles from the Battery, was 60,000; in 1830 it was 
202,000; in 1850, 515,000; in i860, 805,000; and in 1880, 1,206,500. The official 
figures of the census of i8go are not yet available, but a semi-official estimate is, 
in round numbers, 1,513,000. Even this gives but an inadequate idea of the im- 
portance of the city, as almost as many persons live outside of the city limits, within 
a radius of 20 miles from the City Hall, as live within them, so that if the popula- 
tion of what may be called the metropolitan district were to be given on the 
principle on which that of London is given, it would closely approach 3,000,000. 

Statistics of Trade, etc. — The valuation of property within the city and county 
of New York had reached the enormous figure of nearly $1,600,000,000, in 1888, 
the latest for which official statements are at hand ; of this four-fifths is of real 
property. The total debt of the city is now about $90,000,000, while the resources 
of her banks alone amount to $150,000,000. The total imports at this port during 
1888 amounted to $464,080,323; and the exports to $349,456,582, — total $813,536,- 
905. This is over 55 per cent, of the imports and exports of the whole country; 
and this port yields 66 per cent, of all the revenue from foreign custom-duties. 

Books of Reference. — The most popular history of New York City, is that of 
Mis. Martha J. Lamb, editor of the Magazine of Amerkaji History. It is very 
full. A somewhat smaller volume, but excellent, is that by the late Miss Mary L. 
IJooth, former editor of Ha7-per''s Bazar. The historian, Lossing, has also prepared 
a popular history, in two illustrated volumes, which may be seen at every library. 
Older and more anecdotal are the histories of Valentine and Brodhead. Grant 
Thorburn's " Old New York," Barrett's " Old Merchants of New York," De Voe's 
"Market-Assistant" (really a history), the "Tracts of Trinity Parish," and other 
special books, may be consulted for the records and traditions of limited ]3arts of 
the city or particular features of its career. Costello's "Police Department," and 
Kernan's "Fire Department " are large and useful books on their subjects. The 
leading Directory of the city is published by Trow, and may be consulted with 
confidence in its accuracy. It will be found open to public examination at most 
apothecaries' shops. The introductory pages contain lists of churches and a 
variety of useful information, well classified. In addition to this there are several 
professional, business and " elite " directories, the last containing the names of resi- 
dents of the fashionable quarter of New York, arranged by streets and numbers. The 
"Medical Register" (G. P. Putnam's Sons), is an example of the professional lists 
which include lawyers, ministers, etc., etc. For railway time-tables, there are sev- 
eral Railway Guides, published monthly, which will be found useful. Many of the 
railroad companies (notably the West Shore, Central of New Jersey, and Long 



GENERAL FACTS AS TO NEW YORK CITY. 13 

Island RRs.), issue illustrated guide-books of their lines and suburban resorts 
Rand, McNally & Co. (323 Broadway),' the Appletons, the Taintor Brothers and 
Brentano also issue a long list of guide-books, picture albums and maps to 
the city, Hudson valley, sea-coast pleasure-places, and so on. For political and 
commercial statistics for the current year see the Trilm)ie and World Almanacs, 
the annual report of the Chamber of Commerce, and other annual publications to 
be bought at the larger newstands and book stores. 

Streets and Local Districts. 

The first settlement of the town, as has been shown, was at its southern extrem- 
ity, and there the streets will be found to be narrow and crossing one another at 
irregular angles, so that it is easy to lose one's way. Much land has been reclaimed 
from the rivers, especially on the eastern side, and it is only a few years since the 
large open spaces of Old, Coenties and other " slips," were docks, in which vessels 
might lie two or three blocks back from their present wharves. With the gradual 
amplification of the city, and under the foresight of its citizens, a regular system 
for new streets up town was instituted in 1811, but not completely surveyed- out 
until 1842. This begins at Houston st. on the east side, and at Washington sq. 
and Greenwich av. on the west side. Broadway, however, has maintained with 
little change its course as the ancient road to Bloomingdale. Properly speaking, 
it ends at the S. W. corner of Central Park, continuing beyond that as the Boule- 
vard, which makes its way over to the high ground overlooking Riverside Park 
and the Hudson (see Parks), and then goes on to the extremity of the island. 
The ancient highway to the settlements along the bank of the Hudson and to Al- 
bany, is partly preserved (above Central Park) in St. Nicholas av. and the King's 
Bridge Road, which keep along the high central ridge of the island. 

Above Houston st. and Washington sq., one to i^ miles from the Battery, 
begins the rectangular arrangement and numbering of streets so characteristic of 
New York. Running north and south along the whole length of the island are a 
series of avenues, an eighth of a mile apart. These are called First, Second, Third, 
and so on, from east to west, up to Eleventh and Twelfth, which faces the North 
River. Projecting portions of the Island, east of First av., are also given a supple- 
mentary series, known as Av. A, B, C and D. It must also be noted, that between 
Third and Fourth avs. is Lexington av. ; and between Fourth and Fifth avs. is 
Madison av., the latter beginning at 23d st. Remember the position of these two 
odd avenues, and that a// avenues run north and south, and are counted from east 
to west, and you have a key to the whole situation. 

Running east and west, from river to river, and crossing ail the avenues at right 
angles, are the numbered streets. These begin somewhat irregularly, and first 



14 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

appear on Broadway at Sth, while 13th is the first one permitted by the previous 
arrangement of streets to run straight from river to river. These cross-streets are 
one-twentieth of a mile apart, and increase in numbers toward the north, so that 
i8th St., measuring straight up an avenue, is just one-half mile north of Sth, 28th 
another half mile, and so on, up to 222d St., which is the last one, at the upper- 
most end of the island. At intervals of eight or ten streets a broad one occurs, 
which accounts for the peculiar prominence of 14th, 23d, 34th, 42d, and so on. 

The numbering of the avenues begins at their southern extremities, and proceeds 
up town. Fifth av. occupies a nearly central position, and all the cross-streets are 
divided by it into "East" and "West," respectively. The numbering of these 
streets proceeds in each direction from this avenue toward the rivers. In taking 
or giving an address, therefore, you should be particular to indicate whether it is in 
East or West 00th st, since they are quite distinct. The numbering of houses in 
this city is continuous, and does not break into even hundreds with every new block, 
as in Philadelphia and some western towns. A little experience will enable one to 
judge, however, about how far up town on the avenues, or east or west of Fifth av., 
on cross-streets, a given number is ; and in the appendix to the City Directory will 
be found an index answering this question. The down-town streets running par- 
allel with the rivers, number from the Battery up ; those crossing, number right 
and left from Broadway. 

Local Designations. — The stranger will not be long in New York before he 
will read and hear certain sections of the city spoken of by local names, such as 
" The Hook," " Harlem," etc. Nearly all these names are the designations of old 
villages in existence before the growth of the city had engulfed them into one 
homogeneous population. Others are more modern appellations growing out of 
local peculiarities. That part of the city east of Second av., between Houston 
and 14th sts., is often called " Germany," because populated almost exclusively by 
Germans; while "Chinatown" in Mott St., and " Africa" in the lower part of 
Thompson st. indicate other races. Corlear's Hook or " The Hook," is at the 
bend of East River (which see) just below Grand st. and opposite the Brooklyn 
Navy Yard. It was called after Jacob van Corlear, who was in the service of the 
West Indies (Company whose traders came tq Manhattan) as early as 1633, ^"<i 
later he procured a grant of land in that vicinity which has perpetuated his name 
— Jicok meaning "point." In 1641 an Indian attack upon the isolated settlejs at 
Corlear's Hook brought on a general native war against the Dutch. Now large 
machine shops and storage warehouses make the river-front there almost des- 
erted at night, and afford thieves an opportunity to act unobserved, while the 
numerous squalid rookeries and tenements near by furnish places of concealment. 
" Hell's Kitchen " is the expressive name attached to a similar haunt, worse even 
than the Hook, on the North River front about the foot of 34th St., where facto- 



GENERAL FACTS AS TO NEW YORK CITY. 15 

ries, gas works, railway yards, etc., abound. Into this class, too, falls that now 
regenerated locality once of world-wide fame for brawling — the Five Points — which 
is to "be spoken of more particularly in the chapter — A NiGHT Ramble. 

Old Village Centers. — Many names still survive to designate ill-defined regions, 
once isolated villages. One of these is Greenwich (anciently Sapokanican), a 
district near the North River and south of 14th st. Another is Chelsea, a mile 
northward; and a third Yorki<ille,z. primitive farmer-settlement along the river 
east of Central Park. Toward the upper end of the island the more distant local 
centers grew into important towns before the city had time to reach them. Har- 
Ifiii was a large place, with a history and pride and traditions of its own, which 
had spread all along the Harlem River. On the upper North River front was 
Bloomiiigdale, which grew up west of Morningside Park and gave its name to the 
city's principal insane asylum. Just north of it lay AlanhattauviUe, where are the 
beautiful grounds of the Convent of the Sacred Heart, and many fine old man- 
sions. This region is now threaded by the cable line from 125th st., which goes on 
northward through Cannaiisviile to the high ridges of Fort Washington and Wash- 
ington //eights, memorable since the Revolutionary war. Still further, at 
the extreme end of Manhattan Island, was Inwood, which still preserves, to a 
great extent, its village character. This suburb is most easily accessible by the 
trains of the Hudson River R. R., whose stations further north, Sptcyten Duyvil, 
Riverdale, and Mt. St. Vincent are all within the city limits. 

North and east of the Harlem are Port Morris, on the Sound, and Morrisania, 
covering a large area inland ; these names, with that of Mt. Morris Park in 
Harlem, perpetuate the memory of one of the historical old families of that 
region (the mansion of Gouverneur Morris is still standing), famous for patriotism 
in the War for Independence. Motthaven, noted for its iron-works, and North New 
York are localities on the lower eastern bank of the Harlem River, while Hi<rh- 
hridgeville, Morris Dock and King's Bridge are higher up. Tremont, Fordham, 
ferome Park, Williamsbridge, Woodlawn and West Farms are some of the other 
former villages now taken into the " annexed district," and forming the 24th ward 
of the great city. The whole region north of 150th st. is much as it was when 
the towns gave up their individuality, and is an extraordinary example of rus in 
tirbe. Several spacious parks have been set aside, and toward the Hudson and 
along the high ground from High Bridge to Woodlawn Heights there are many 
extremely beautiful spots and country-like homes ; but the low, flat angle between 
Harlem River and the Sound is given up to factories and a laboring population, 
for the most part, and is uninteresting to the last degree. 



1 6 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

The City Government and City Hall. 

The municipal government is vested by the charter of 1873 i" ^ Mayor and 
Aldermen. The Mayor is the executive officer of the city, is elected once in two 
years, paid $12,000 per antmm, and can be removed only by the governor of the 
State. He appoints the heads of the executive departments, and has much more 
power and responsibility than was given to mayors by any previous charter. His 
office is in the City Hall. The citizens are represented by the Board of (25) Alder- 
men, elected one from each Assembly district and one at large, the last named 
becoming the president of the board. They hold office one year, receive a salary 
of $2000, and exercise the entire legislative powers of the city, enforce, pass, and 
repeal city ordinances, subject to the approval of the Mayor, and pass resolutions 
over his veto by a three-quarters vote. They meet at their own pleasure, usually 
once a week, but occasionally at greater intervals, in their room in the City Hall 
Nevertheless the Board of Apportionment, formed by the Mayor, the Comptroller, 
the Tax Commissioner and the President of the Board of Aldermen, sitting for the 
purpose, is superior to them, since it decides how far the expenses of the city shall 
reach during the year next in advance, and sanctions or denies appropriations 
made by the Aldermen ; but the State legislature has a good deal to say on this 
subject, since New York is governed nearly as much by the Solons in Albany as 
by those in City Hall Square. 

Departments. — The departments of the Mayor's Office begin with that of 
Finance, a somewhat independent office, under the Comptroller, who is the finan- 
cial agent of the city, receives a salary of $10,000 per annum, and occupies the 
most desirable position under the city government from a political standpoint. 
The City Chamberlain is appointed by the Mayor, receives a salary of $25,000, 
and pays all the expenses of his office therefrom. His duties are those of a 
treasurer, and there is a loud call for the abolition of his office, which is deemed 
wholly unnecessary. The Lazv department is described under the heading 
Courts ; and the Police, Fire and Health departments under sub-heads below. 
The department of Public Works is presided over by a commissioner who has 
charge of public buildings and improvements, the streets (except most of those- in 
the annexed district which belong to the Park board), the water-supply (see 
below), illumination, sewerage, etc., classified into nine bureaus. During 1889 the 
expenditures of this department were $4,353,231. Tax Assessment and Collection 
is in charge of three commissioners who perform the duties indicated by their title. 
The Dock department also consists of three commissioners who look after the 
piers, docks, ferries and waterfront of the island, all of which is city property. 
The Board of Excise (three commissioners) decides whether it is proper to give 
to each applicant that presents himself a license to sell spirituous or malt liquors, 



W. Mccarty little. Pres. J. H. JONES, see. and Treas. 

Union Transfer 
& Storage Co. 

Telephone Call, 18th street, 199. 



121 TO 125 EAST TWENTY-SECOND ST. 



Storage , Packing. 




Express. 



TRANSKBR. 



Moving of Theatrical Scenery, 

PROPERTY AND BAGGAGE. 



467 Fourth Avenue, 124 Park Avenue, Opposite Grand Central Depot, 
NEW YORK. 



GENERAL FACTS AS TO NEW YORK CITY. 17 

and issues such licenses, renewaljle annually : the fees are $50 for ale or beer only 
and $250 for the privilege of selling all liquors. The Street Cleaning department 
is under a single chief, who has the task of sweeping about 500 miles of paved 
streets. The parks and a large part of the city above the Harlem are controlled 
by three Park commissioners : and three other commissioners constitute the 
Board of Charities and Correction which manages the charitable and penal institu- 
tions of the city (see Charities) and provides for the poor. 

These commisioners, with a few exceptions, are appointed for six years by the 
Mayor, independent of the Aldermen, and are displaceable at his will. All appoint- 
ments to subordinate places under the city government are made from candidates 
who have passed the Civil Service, Supervisory and Examining boards. Most 
of these branches of the government have offices in 

The City Hall. — This fine building stands in the centre of City Hall Square, 
beside Broadway and three quarters of a mile above the Battery. The structure is 
interesting, not only as the place where the government of the city is conducted, 
and politicians scheme and wriggle, but historically and architecturally. 

The surrounding park is all that is left of the ancient Commons, which began 
as a sheep-pasture for the old Dutch farmers, but was gradually restricted until 
definitely confined between Broadway and the old road, which ran along the edge 
of Beeckman's swamp, and is now Park Row. Northward the Commons extended 
to the " Collect" or pond, beyond Duane St., where the Tombs now rears its grim 
quadrangle. Here stood the old ''bridewell," the almshouse, the "new " jail and 
a gibbet, — all near Chambers st. The jail has been made over into the present 
Hall of Records, — a brown-stone building close to the bridge, but the others long 
ago disappeared. The rapid growth of the town, after the close of the Revolution, 
made it expedient to abandon the old City Hall in Wall st., and erect a newer and 
larger one, which, as public opinion decreed, must be placed in the Commons. In 
1800 a committee of the Common Council was appointed on the subject, and offered 
prizes for design and estimates. Two years later one of these was adopted ; but 
opposition was made, and it was not until March, 1803, ^^^^^ ^^^ plans of Mr. John 
McComb, the architect, were accepted, and it was ordered that "the said building 
be erected on the vacant ground between the jail and bridewell ; that wings, 
in front, range with Murray street, on a parallel line with fence in front 
of the almshouse." Digging was begun April 5, 1804, but the hard times, 
the political caution of the "city fathers," the depression caused by an epidemic 
which assailed the town, and other difficulties retarded the work, so that it was not 
until the autumn of 181 1 that some of the rooms could be occupied (the Aldermen 
abandoning the old City Hall in August of that year), and it was not until late in 
1812 that the building was really complete. The total expenditure upon it was 
less than $500,000. Marble was used far the front and ends ; but no one urged 



i8 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

anything better than brown-stone for the rear, since it was not supposed that any- 
body of any consequence would ever live north of this spot. In 1858, a spark 
from the fireworks displayed from the roof, at the celebration of the successful lay- 
ing of the first Atlantic cable, set fire to the beautiful cupola, which was destroyed, 
and the low dome over the rotunda was damaged. These were clumsily replaced. 
A picture of the hall previous to that time, and of the architect's drawing of the 
cupola, may be found in The Century for April, 1884, adorning an article upon this 
building, in respect to which the writer, Mr. Ed. S. Wilde, remarks : 

" Notwithstanding this change, and the damage done less by time than by 
stupidity, the Hall stands to-day unsurpassed by any structure of the kind in the 
country. The design is pure. No pains or research was spared. The capitals of 
the first [Ionic] and second [Corinthian] orders are marvels of execution. . . . The 
classic detail throughout is admirably wrought. . . . The principal elevations were 
undoubtedly those of Inigo Jones's design for the palace at Whitehall, of which 
only the Banqueting House was built. In fact, it may be said that, in the detail of 
the exterior and of the marble of the inside. Sir William Chambers was closely 
imitated; while in the plan and woodwork, that Adams, Richardson and Soane, and 
the examples in the ' Vitruvius Britannicus ' of both Campbell and Richardson were 
followed to a certain degree." 

The whole building is 215 feet long, and over 35,000 feet of Stockbridge (Mass.) 
marble was used in the exterior walls ; the copper for the upper roof was imported, 
cost ^^2425, equal, at present, to about $12,000. 

When the City Hall was first occupied, in 181 1, the bridewell, almshouse and 
jail were its near neighbors, and the rear windows overlooked a swampy pond sur- 
rounded by tanneries and small buildings, in the midst of which rose an island, 
where the arms of the public gallows stretched weirdly over the desolate surround- 
ings. Trees of good size surrounded it, and pleasant paths led through them. 
The streets west of Broadway, toward the North River, were beginning to be built 
upon by merchants and officials of means, and were shady and quiet thorough- 
fares. An observer, standing upon the portico, had " an unbroken view down 
Broadway, including St. Paul's, the odd little shops that occupied the site of the 
.^£';vz/f/ building, the wooden spire of Trinity, and the cuj^ola of Grace Church. 
Now the Post Office shows its ugly back to its classic neighbor, and, on the north- 
ern side, the new courthouse has been built on the site of the almshouse." 

In the basement of the east wing is a station and lockup, forming a sub-precinct 
of the police on duty about the buildings. 

The County of New York is coextensive with the City, and the county officers 
have quarters in or near the City Hall and Co2irt House — (See next page). The 
principal of these are the Coroners, the County Clerk, the Register, and the Sur- 
rogate, who are paid by salaries, and the Sheriff, who is paid by fees. The location 
of their offices and a complete directory of the city and county officials is to be 
found in the City Record, a gazette published by the city. 

Political Districts. — For purposes of r.epresentation. New York is divided into 



GENERAL FACTS AS TO NEW YORK CITY. 19 

districts, Congressional., Scitatorial and Assctnhly. Of the Congressional dis- 
tricts, eight (6th to 14th) are contained within the city. Some of the State 
Senatorial districts are here, viz., 5th to itth; and there are 24 assembly Dis- 
tricts, which are subdivided into 812 election districts, each with a place for reg- 
istry and a voting poll. The Wards of the city are 24 in number. Of these the 
first six lie south of Canal st. ; the 8th and 9th on the west side, between Canal 
and 14th sts.; the 7th, loth, nth, 13th, 14th and 15th on the east side, between 
Catherine and 14th; the 17th, iSth and 19th on the east side, between 14th and 
Yorkville; the 21st, covers Yorkville; the i6th is between W. 14th and W. 26th ; 
the 20th and 22d are between W. 26th and Manhattanville ; the 12th covers Harlem 
and Manhattanville; the 23d includes Morrisania and the east side north of the 
Harlem ; and the 24th embraces all the "annexed district " at the extreme north- 
ern end of the city. 

Courts, Prisons, and the Bar. 

COURTS. 

The Higher Courts. — Much interesting history and reminiscences of many 
great advocates and publicists attach to the courts and bar of New York City, 
but in a book with the present purpose only a short space need be devoted to this 
subject. The U'. S. Circuit Court for this district (one of nine covering the whole 
United States) holds sessions in its own room in the Post OfHce building. The 
general terms are in April and October; equity term in February; criminal court 
in January, March, May, June, October, and December. The U. S. District Court 
for the Southern District of New York, meets in the Post Office building, — general 
term, first Monday of every month ; special term, for return of process, every 
Tuesday. The Court of Appeals is an appellate tribunal, and is seated in the new 
capitol at Albany. The Supreme Court embraces the whole state, but its appel- 
late branch is styled the General Term, and for its purposes the entire state is 
divided into four departments, of which New York City is the first; and in each 
department there is a general term composed of a presiding justice and two asso- 
ciate justices. All the sessions are held in the County Court House. 

This is the building which stands in the rear of the City Hall, facing Chambers 
St. It has been occupied since 1867, and its erection was the occasion of much of 
the fraud and peculation on the part of the " Tweed Ring," the investigation of 
which caused the downfall of that corrupt coterie of politicians in 1870. Under 
those circumstances its cost to the city was enormously beyond what it should 
have been. The architecture is Corinthian, but the intended dome has not yet 
been finished. It is three stories high, 250 ft. long by 150 ft. wide, and the crown 
of the dome is to be 210 ft. above the sidewalk. The walls are of Massachusetts 



±6 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

white marble, beams and staircases of iron, and the finishing of hard wood. 
Several of the civic offices (curiously enough, however, not the offices of the Law 
department) are in this building, as, likewise, are the rooms of the State courts. 

The Common Pleas is the oldest court in the commonwealth, dating from the 
first accession of New Amsterdam to the English in 1664, but it has been modified 
in jurisdiction and procedure several times. Territorially it is now limited to the 
city and county of New York, and is the " County Court ; " legally it has a very 
wide jurisdiction, especially in equity cases, where real property or contracts are 
concerned. Its sessions are held in the County Court House. The Superior 
Court of the City of New York sits in the same building. The City Court (for- 
merly called the Marine Court) has rooms in the City Hall, and hears no cases in 
equity, but deals with recovery of money, wages or chattels, and mortgages of com- 
paratively small amounts. It has much to do with marine cases, but has no 
authority to proceed as a court of admiralty. The District Courts are inferior tri- 
bunals for the trial of petty actions, and correspond to courts of justices of the 
peace in the towns. Their proceeding is not according to common law, but all of 
their powers are derived exclusively from the statutes. They number eleven and 
are scattered about town in their respective districts. The Surrogate's is a pro- 
bate court, dealing with wills, legacies and the property of deceased persons, and 
its offices in the Court House are open continuously. The Court of Arbitration 
holds its sessions in the Chamber of Commerce, 36 Nassau St., and at the office 
of the Arbitrator, and decides between parties who voluntarily submit their con- 
troversies to its arbitrament. 

Criminal Courts. — The criminal courts of the city are variously lodged, at 
present, but a noble building, to cost about $2,000,000, is about to be erected for 
their accommodation (except the Police Courts) on Centre st., next to the 
Tombs. The most important of these courts is the Oyer and Terftiiner, which is 
the Criminal branch of the Supreme Court, and to it are sent many cases from the 
Courts of Session ; it sits in the County Court House. The Court of General Ses- 
sions of the Peace (32 Chambers st.) sits in three branches every month except 
July and August, when only one part is usually in session. It is presided over by 
the Recorder and the City Judge, assisted by a special judge; all are elected for 
14 years. This court has power to punish all crimes and misdemeanors whatso- 
ever, triable within the city and county of New York ; but every conviction for a 
capital offense had in this court is reviewable by the Supreme Court and Court of 
Appeals. The Court of Special Sessions of the Peace occupies a position between 
the Police Justices' Court and the Court of General Sessions. It is held by 
three police justices and tries such causes as are sent to it from the Police Courts. 
There is no jury trial in this court, and the accused, at the time of his appearance 
before the committing magistrate, has his election of trial in this court, or in the 



GENERAL FACTS AS TO JVEW YOkA' CITY. ii 

Court of General Sessions with a jury. It convenes at the Tombs every day except 
Saturday. 

Police Courts. — The police courts of the city are six in number, and are held 
at the following places : 

First District, Tombs, Centre st. 

Second District, Sixth av. and loth st., (Jefferson Market). 

Third District, 69 Essex st., ("Essex Market). 

Fourth District, E. 57th st. near Lexington av. (Yorkville). 

Fifth District, 125th st. near Lexington av. (Harlem). 

Sixth District, E. 158th St., near Third av. 

The justices in these courts are appointed by the Mayor, and are as much 
respected and confided in by the general work-a'-day population of the city, who 
go to them with their troubles for advice and redress, as they are feared by habit- 
ual evil-doers. 

These courts open at 8 A. M. when the prisoners are brought from the city 
prisons and police stations, are arraigned by the officers who have arrested them, 
and ])assed rapidly before the justice, who listens to the complaint, asks what 
they have to say in defense, and disposes of each case with great celerity. Some 
are discharged either because the evidence against them fails, or because in the 
opinion of the justice they have been punished enough by their night's incarcera- 
tion ; first offenders in small misdemeanors generally get off with a light fine. 
Old offenders and cases of greater moment are more heavily fined, or, in default of 
payment, sent to " the island " (see Blackwell's Island) for a length of time pro- 
portionate to the fine. " Ten dollars or ten days," is a formula heard over and 
over, though much larger punishments may be decreed. The more serious cases 
are referred to the special sessions or higher courts, with or without bail. At 
each court certain lawyers, who may or may not come under the denomination 
"shyster," are present every day to act as counsel for prisoners for a five or ten 
dollar fee, or whatever they are able to get. The space in front of the bench is 
crowded with court officers, policemen, attorneys, reporters and other persons hav- 
ing business there, but quiet prevails and the work of the court proceeds rapidly 
and effectually in spite of the familiar and uncourtly appearance of things. A 
large part of the room is provided with seats for spectators, and these are usually 
well filled. It would be well worth an hour's attention on the part of a visitor to 
the city to sit there and study the humanity that will pass before his eyes. Some- 
times very amusing incidents occur, and again extremely pathetic ones. It seems 
to be the aim of all the magistrates to deal not only justly but kindly, and by their 
judicious treatment many an erring one has been saved from further wickedness, 
or rescued from misery. The most easily accessible courts are Jefferson Market 
(Sixth av. and loth st.) ; Essex Market (cor. Grand and Essex sts.), among the 
foreigners of the East Side ; and the Tombs. Early morning is the best time. 

PRISONS. 

The Tombs. — This is properly the City Prison; but its gloomy Egyptian archi- 
tecture — the purest example of that style in the country — long ago suggested its 



22 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK ClTV. 



popular and significant name. Every one ought to look at it for its architecture, if 
for no other reason. 

The Tombs occupies the entire block bounded by Centre st. on the east, Elm 
St. on the west, Leonard st. on the south, and Eranklin st. on the north, but its 
really grand proportions are dwarfed almost into insignificance by its situation, 
which is in a hollow so low that the top of its massive walls scarcely rises above 
the level of Broadway, which is hardly more than loo yards distant from the west- 
ern fa9ade. The site was formerly occupied by the Collect, a sheet of water 
connected with the Hudson river by a strip of swamp called Lispenard's 
Meadows (whence the name of Lispenard st.) through which ran a little rivulet on 
a line with the present Canal st., which derives its name from this circumstance. 
" This canal," says Lossing, " was spanned at the junction of Broadway and Canal 
St. by an arched stone bridge which was subsequently buried, when the ground 
was heightened by filling in and the canal disappeared." This filling in was the 
first public improvement undertaken at the close of the Revolution; the City Hall 
was then just rising and no buildings stood between its rear and the tanneries 
vijr ^ which bordered the swamp, where in 

winter merry parties went skating, and 
where, a little later, Fulton tested the 
models of his steamboat. The prison 
now covers the site of the pre-revolu- 
tionary gibbet which was planted on a 
small island. The most noticeable ex- 
ecution it saw was in 1741, when seven 
of the negro slaves accused of in- 
cendiarism and conspiracy to massacre 
the white peoj^le of the town were 
hung upon it. Others were burned at 
THE TOMBS. the Stake in a hollow near the same 

spot, now the " Five Points ; " and still others were hung in chains at the corner of 
Catherine and Cherry sts., where their spooks returned to haunt the locality for 
many years. The gibbet upon which so many malefactors have since been exe- 
cuted within the Tombs therefore stands upon ground long dedicated to the hang- 
man's use. 

" Internally the prison is rather a series of buildings than a single structure. 
The cells rise in tiers one above the other with a separate corridor for each row. 
Besides those awaiting trial in the Special Sessions and Police courts, persons ac- 
cused or convicted of the more heinous crimes are kept here until they have been 
tried before the higher courts or until they depart for the State prison, or are 
ready for the gallows, which is erected in the interior quadrangle of the prison 
whenever an execution is to take place." Despite its gloomy appearance and de- 
pressed situation the sanitary arrangements of the place are so perfect that pris- 
oners usually gain rather than lose in health by their incarceration The Tombs 
Police Court is open to the public at all hours of session, but for a permit to visit 
the prison corridors application must be made to the Commissioners of Charities 
and Correction atThirdav. and nth. st. 




GENERAL FACTS AS TO iVElV YORK CITY. 23 

Ludlow St. Jail. — Except that a prison or temporary lock-up is connected 
with each police station and police court, the only other prison in New York is 
Ludlow St. Jail (separated from Essex Market by an alley-way), where prisoners 
held on civil process issued by the .State courts, or on civil or criminal process of 
the Federal courts, are kept. This jail is under the care of the sheriff of the 
county, and superior accommodations are furnished to those able and willinfT to 
pay for them, as several " Napoleons of finance " held m duress have done luxuri- 
ously, to the scandal of the community they defrauded. 

THE BAR. 

Corporation Counsel. — The law business of the city is conducted by the Law 
Department, under a Corporation Counsel, whose assistants are the Corporation 
Attorney and the Public Administrator, at the head of separate bureaus. There 
is also a Commissioner of Jurors, who prepares the jury lists and panels for the 
various State courts. 

Lawyers Generally. — The offices of lawyers of all branches of the profession 
are mainly down town, in the neighborhood of the City Hall and thence to Wall st. 
The tall new buildings recently erected in that part of the city are filled with them 
and some of the suites thus occupied are extensive and elaborately furnished. 
The organization of the profession is the Bar Association, which was founded in 
1870 " for the purpose of maintaining the honor and dignity of the profession of 
the law, cultivating social relations among its members, and increasing its useful- 
ness in promoting the due administration of justice." It owns a large and com- 
modious building at 7 W. 29th st., which is elegantly furnished and arranged for 
study, and is open all day to the members (now about 750) and also to judges. 
The library contains some 23,000 law books ; and a still larger law library is ac- 
cessible in the Post Office Building, Room 116. 

The Police Force. 

No part of the City Government is so apparent, to both citizens and strangers, 
as the Police. The first man the visitor sees, as he alights from his incoming 
train or boat, is a policeman. The government of the force, is vested in four com- 
missioners, always, until recently, non-partisan, since an important part of their 
functions is the management of elections, the appointment of registry and polling 
places, and the supervision generally of the balloting and counting. These com- 
missioners appoint all members of the force from the superintendent down, and 
have also power of dismissal. The superintendent is the " chief " and imme- 
diately under him are the deputy superintendent and three inspectors, at least one 
of whom must always be present at headquarters. 



24 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 



Patrol Service. — The city is divided int(j 35 precincts, each of which has its 
own station house, containing c^iiarters for the men, cells for prisoners and lodg- 
ings of the barest description for homeless wanderers. These are always open to 
visitors. Attached to each one are two wagons able to carry 13 men each, with 
great speed to any place where a massing of the force is required to quell a riot, 
or in other emergency. Each precinct is commanded by a captain, who has under 
him sergeants and roundsmen-^the latter "going the rounds" to see that the 
patrolmen are on their posts, or " beats " and doing their duty properly — and a 
quota of privates or "patrolmen." Though this classification is military, the 
genius of the system is not so, to anything like the degree which obtains in the 
Metropolitan Police of London, or i\\e,geiida!-?/ie)ie of continental Europe. Many 
of the men on duty in the northern part of the city are mounted ; while the Harbor 
Police form a separate precinct (the 24th) and patrol the river margins in row 
boats, with headquarters on a steamer. A " steamboat squad " is detailed in 
summer to accompany all the pleasure boats plying to suburban and seaside 
resorts, and the special water excursions and picnics so frequent at that season. 
The Bj-oadway Squad is a picked body of old and favored officers, of peculiarly 
tall and fine appearance, who are complimented by being assigned to day posts 
upon the great thoroughfare. The force now numbers, all told, about 4000 men. 

Police Headquarters, or the central office, 
is a large, marble-fronted building in Mulberry 
St. between Houston and Bleecker, where also 
are the offices of the Board of Health. It is 
connected with all the stations, Bellevue Hos- 
pital, and some other points, by special telegraph 
wires, and all arrests, fires, accidents and every 
occurrence of any moment, in any part of the 
city, is at once communicated to the Head- 
quarters' operators. Unless there are " reasons 
of state " for keeping it secret, a memorandum 
of this information is at once placed in the hands 
of the reporters for the press, who are regularly 
assigned by their respective news])apers or press 
agencies to duty at Police Headquarters, and 
who never for a moment, day or night, leave the 
place " uncovered ; " they can then investigate 
the matter further if it suits them to do so. 
This routine explains how so great a quan- 
tity of news is gathered, and how all the newspapers become promptly aware 
of everything happening in any part of the city. The whole police force, in 




POLICE HEADQUARTERS. 



GENERAL FACTS AS TO jVElV VON A' CITY. 25 

the discharge of its duty of keeping the superintendent informed of affairs in each 
precinct from hour to hour, becomes a sleepless and authentic purveyor of news 
to the community. Connected with Police Headquarters is a shelter for lost 
children and friendless girls who are committed to the care of a matron until 
otherwise disposed of. The Detective Bn>-emi of the force is in charge of Inspec- 
tor Thomas A. Byrnes, and keeps the Rogtics' Gallery — a collection of photo- 
graphic portraits of criminals who have made themselves notorious in any direc- 
tion — and a museum of implements and relics of great crimes and criminals ; these 
can be seen, however, only by the favor of some officer. 

Among so many men a few "black sheep " are likely to occur ; but the esprit de 
corps of the force is high, and as a whole, it is an intelligent, brave and honorable 
body of men. Strangers may and should appeal to them for advice and aid in any 
time of need. They can trust to their guidance and information, and, on the other 
hand, they should cheerfully comply with their regulations and orders. About 
100 men are posted at the busiest corners to regulate traffic and assist pedestrians 
in crossing the crowded thoroughfares. The uniform of blue and brass is strictly 
regulated by law, and the men are compelled to keep it smart, and maintahi a neat 
and orderly appearance. This uniform and the helmet have been copied all over 
the United States. The guardians of the parks and squares, distinguished by the 
gray uniforms, are under the control of the Park Commissioners, and are else- 
where mentioned. Two magazine articles, illustrated, on the police force, may be 
read with profit by those interested; one is Harper''s,iox March, 18S7 ; and the 
other, by Ernest Ingersoll, was published in Scribner's Monthly for 1878. (See also 
Courts, Etc.) A special corps of police is attached to the Street Cleaning 
Department to enforce its ordinances. 

The Health Department is, in fact, a branch of the Police. Its control is 
vested in the President of the Board of Police, the Health Officer of the port, and 
two Commissioners, one of whom must be a practicing physician. A corps of 
medical inspectors is employed for the cure and prevention of disease, in the 
inspection of tenement houses, factories, etc., and for the enforcement of the 
health laws and the sanitary code, and a detail of police officers assist in this work, 
There is also a vaccinating corps, a corps for disinfection, and a corps of milk and 
meat inspectors. One of the most important functions of this Board is the collec- 
tion of vital statistics, and the supervision of persons practicing medicine. The 
legal support of the work of the Board is ample, and it often happens that some 
actual wrong, technically out of reach of other powers, can be abated or punished by 
an appeal to the Health Commissioners. Their office is at Police Headquarters. 

Sanitation. — A cjuotation from the last Mayor's message is interesting here: 

The public health may be considered as ne.xt in importance to personal security, 



26 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

and in this respect our condition is one of steady amelioration. For many years 
this city has enjoyed almost complete immunity from every form of pestilence. 
During the jiast year there has been a substantial decrease in mortality, and from 
the vigor with which the Sanitary Code is now enforced we may reasonably expect 
a still further diminution of the death rate. The Department of Health has for 
some months jiast devoted a great deal of attention to the improvement of the 
sewerage, and by the intelligent cooperation of the Department of Public Works 
there is every reason to believe that the original defects in the construction of the 
older sewers will soon be remedied. Our pro.ximity to the sea affords great facili- 
ties for effective drainage, and it is the earnest purpose of the municipal adminis- 
tration to so improve these natural advantages that in a short time we may enjoy 
the possession of a perfect system of sewerage, so arranged and constructed that 
the drainage of the city may be discharged into the harbor in places where it will 
become subject to the movement of the tides, and thus be carried out to the open 
sea without danger to the public health. 

The fire Department and Insurance. 

Nothing is more exciting or entertaining to visitors from the country than the 
scenes at a fire in the city ; and they are ready to believe, afterward, that the New 
York Fire Department is a model to the whole country. It is controlled by three 
commissioners, one of whom is appointed by the Mayor every two years. Their 
office is in the handsome new Fii-e Headqu irters at 157-9 E. 67th st. Besides the 
extinguishing and investigation of causes of fires, the regulation of the transporta- 
tion, storage and use of combustibles and explosives, and the control of buildings 
— over 100,000 in number — with reference to their safety from fire or collapse, and 
the safety of their inmates, devolves upon the four bureaus of this department. 
It has also a superintendent of telegraph in charge of the fire-alarm telegraph 
system, which consists of 1,069 miles of wire, with 1,066 alarm-boxes; medical offi- 
cers for the examination of candidates for appointment and attending disabled fire- 
men ; a repair-shop, under a captain of the uniformed force ; a superintendent of 
horses, and a training-stable for teaching horses while on trial before purchase. 
The cost of maintaining the department, which numbers in all about 1200 officers 
and employes, is nearly ^^2,000,000 a year. 

The uniformed force of firemen proper is commanded by a Chief of Department, 
and is divided into 12 battalions, each commanded by a Chief of Battalion. There 
were, at the last accounting, 74 companies located in houses throughout the city 
(55 engine and 19 hook-and-ladder companies). The apparatus consists of 85 
steam fire-engines, 2 marine or floating engines, called " fire-boats," 84 hose-tenders, 
3 water-towers, 36 hook-and-ladder trucks, 337 horses, 186,586 feet of hose, etc. 
Scaling-ladders and other life-saving appliances are now in use in all the hook-and- 
ladder companies, and over one-third of the force has been trained in their use. 

A visit to an Engine-house may be made at ordinary hours, and the foreman 
in charge will take pleasure in showing appreciative persons the details of the 



GENERAL FACTS AS TO NEW YORK CfTV. 27 

establishment. If you can happen to be there when an alarm of fire is struck, you 
will be lucky, but must expect no courtesy as to leave-taking — and you'd better get 
out of the way! The horses, unhitched automatically by the electric current 
which strikes the alarm, spring to their places, where the men, whose duty it is, 
lower the harness hung overhead, and with half a dozen dextrous snappings of 
clasps make the required fastenings. Meanwhile the men come sliding down the 
smooth pole that reaches through round hatchways to the top floor, or tumble 
half-dressed down-stairs, the driver has mounted his seat and gathered the reins, 
the front doors are thrown open, the engineer and firemen have lighted the ever- 
prepared fire, and with the fire-laddies' cry " Let her go, Gallagher ! " the machine 
— a fountain of blaze and smoke — bell ringing, whistle shrilly blowing, attended by 
a clanging hose-cart and impeded by no obstacle that can hurry out of the way, 
rushes on its errand of salvation. The alarm may have come from a point a mile 
away, but the steamer that was not there and at work within five minutes would be 
considered slow. A first alarm calls only the apparatus of a single battalion ; but 
where a fire seems at all threatening, a second and third alarms quickly follow, 
which summon from a far wider territory ; and in case of a really great or threat- 
ening conflagration, special alarms are sent by the "chief" in charge, who may 
even ring the portentous " double sixes " which calls for everything the city can 
furnish in the quickest possible time. Each alarm of fire is promptly reported at 
the appropriate police station, whereupon — when it seems necessary — the reserve 
platoon of police in the station at that hour is turned out to form a cordon around 
the burning building and keep back the crowd which is sure to assemble, and 
which will be sure to contain enterprising thieves. No one is permitted to pass 
the police lines unless he wears one of the badges furnished by the Commissioners 
to a limited number of olificials, insurance men and newspaper reporters. An 
annual parade of the department takes place in the spring, and makes a. very pretty 
spectacle. 

The Insurance Patrol companies, or salvage corps, as the English call them, 
are an independent body, having no direct connection with the Fire Department, 
though cooperating with the latter in the extinguishing of fires by the use of 
special appliances, and through the rescue or salvage of property, which latter 
service is no part of the duty of firemen. 

This corps is supported by the Board of Fire Underwriters (combined insurance 
companies), and owes its origin to the circumstances which followed the great fire 
in this city of 1835. The loss at that time was $25,000,000, and the financial dis- 
aster culminated in the panic of 1837 when prices fell, doubt existed everywhere, 
merchants and tradesmen were comj^elled to suspend business, and distress was 
almost universal. As is almost invariably the case when retail business is bad in 
a large community, there was an era of fires, most of them down town in the 
business districts, and many of them of incendiary origin, and the firemen were 



28 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

called out almost every night. The insurance companies became alarmed at their 
losses, and agreed among themselves to establish an insurance patrol, selecting 
for the most part old firemen for iwtrolmen. They were found to be both vigilant 
and prompt, discovering without delay fires of which the department heard noth- 
ing, and sometimes putting them out without any alarm. This was the origin of 
the present fire insurance patrol system. During the half century which has fol- 
lowed the inauguration of these property-saving companies in New York, the orig- 
inal plan of operation has of course been much extended, and the members of the 
insurance patrol companies have ceased to occupy themselves with the business 
of giving alarm, their efforts in this respect having been entirely superseded by 
the present electric alarm system, and their services being now directed chiefly to 
the task of saving goods, either by covering them up or removing them, and in 
preventing damage by water, which is a more serious source of loss to insurance 
companies than is fire itself or the incidental damage done liy breakage. For this 
purpose the insurance patrol men have various contrivances of their own, which 
form part of the equipment of the big red wagons upon which they ride to fires. 

The extraordinary celerity with which these men start from their stations on 
hearing an alarm, and the speed with which they travel often exceeds that of the 
firemen, whom they are always ambitious to get ahead of. After the conflagration 
has been quenched, if there is any property left undestroyed, a member of the 
patrol stays to guard it, not so much against general thieving as to prevent prop- 
erty owners who might be so disposed from removing after a fire effects for which 
the company would be called upon to pay, but for his attendance and vigilance. 

Insurance Matters offer little to interest the stranger. The New York Board 
of Fire Underwriters (Boreel Building) is a corporation composed of insurance 
companies, which endeavors to regulate and advance the business in many ways, 
and to " maintain rates." Insurance, nevertheless, is low, owing to the intense 
competition. According to the last report of the Superintendent of Insurance, 
the gross sum paid by insurers to companies doing business in this country against 
losses by fire was, in 1889, $105,187,011. Against this the companies paid back 
to persons sustaining loss the sum of $62,540,335, and they expended otherwise 
than in paying losses the sum of $35,522,831, so that the net profit for the year is 
in the vicinity of $7,000,000, on a total yearly risk of over $3,000,000,000, counting 
all property insured against loss by fire. Insurance agents and brokers have 
formed an Underwriters' Club, which meets in handsome rooms in the Equitable 
Building. The Walford Library is among its attractions. 

\Nater and Lights. 

Water Supply. — New York gets its water supply mainly from the Croton 
river and a group of lakes, some 40 miles northward. It is brought by the Croton 
aqueduct — a conduit of brick and stone completed in 1842 and able to deliver 
96,000,000 gallons a day. From the Bronx river is derived 16,000,000 gallons a 



GENERAL FACTS AS TO NEW YORK CTTY. 29 

day more. The Croton aqueduct crosses the Harlem upon the viaduct known as 
High Bridge (hereafter described). In Central Park, four miles below High 
Bridge, is the retaining reservoir, capable of holding 1,030,000,000 gallons, and 
just below this is the receiving reservoir, which holds 150,000,000 gallons more. 
The distributing reservoir is on Fifth av., bet. 40th and 42d sts., in the heart of the 
city, and 115 feet above tide water. IJesides these there is a "high service" 
reservoir holding 11,000,000 gallons, at High Bridge, and another at Ninth av. 
and 97th St. The iron mains distributing the water under the principal streets 
aggregate about 660 miles in length, which feed 8,420 fire hydrants in addition to 
the private supply pipes. For several years a new aqueduct has been building to 
increase the supply. This source is the same Croton watershed, but new retain- 
ing reservoirs have been, or remain to be, built to store so much of the 400,000,000 
gallons of water now running to waste, as may be desirable. This new aqueduct, 
which will cost nearly $25,000,000 before it is done, is now so near finished that it 
will become available before the close of 1890. It is a tunnel, 14 feet in diameter, 
and over 30 miles in length, carried through solid rock, at an average depth of 
500 ft. below the surface. It leads, like the others, to the reservoir in Central 
Park and will be distributed by the present system of pipes. Its ultimate capacity, 
when the system of storage reservoirs has been completed, will be 300 millions of 
gallons daily, and enough water will come through at the first opening to satisfy 
all demands for some years to come and to restore the proper degree of pressure. 
It is probable that no great city in the world uses so much water per capita as 
does New York. Croton water is as pure and wholesome as could be desired, 
and no one need hesitate to drink it freely. The income of the city for water 
service now exceeds $2,550,000 a year. 

Illumination. — The city now lights 503 miles of street, mainly with gas, for 
which there are over 27,000 lamps, but also by electric arc-lamps in great number, 
the wires for which are principally carried in the subways, — a system of iron tubes 
laid underneath the pavements of the principal streets. 



II. 

THE ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK. 



Advice to Inexperienced Travelers. 

AN arrival in New York, or any other large city, alone and for the first time, is 
an ordeal to which many persons look forward with justifiable dread. What 
shall they do first — whither shall they go — what arrangements are to be made 
regarding baggage — how shall they find the proper way — how escape mischievous 
misleading of some sort and unnecessary expenses ? These questions occur to 
many inexperienced travelers ; and it is the purpose of this chapter to answer 
them, as to New York, as explicitly as possible. 

The Metropolis has many entrances. A dozen regular lines of steamships 
bring passengers from Europe, and many others from South and Central America, 
the West Indies, and the ports along the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic 
coast. Lines of steamboats connecting with railroads come down the Hudson and 
from Long Island Sound. Five great railway termini stand upon the western 
bank of the Hudson and are connected with New York by ferries. Long Island is 
covered with a network of roads, and it is proposed to construct at the further 
end of the island a great ocean entrepot, which would make that approach a very 
important one. Finally, in the very heart of the city, stands the Grand Central 
Depot. It will be well to point out distinctly the landing places of passengers 
arriving by any one of these routes, beginning with the ocean steamships. Cabin 
passengers may go ashore as soon as the vessel is made fast and will find Custon^ 
House inspectors ready to examine their baggage on the wharf without delay 
Pick out your trunks, give to the inspector your " declaration " and your keys, 
be polite and good-tempered and the ordeal is quickly and easily passed. 

Steamship Landings. 

TRANSATLANTIC STEAMSHIPS : 

Anchor Line. — Pier 41 (new), N. R. (North River), foot of LeRoy st.; office 7 
Bowling Green. (Liverpool, via Queenstown.) 



ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK. 31 

Cotnpagnie Generale Transathuitique.—Yi^x 42, N. R., ft. of Morton st. ; office, 3 

Bowling Green. (French line to Havre.) 
Canard Line.— V\&\ 40, N. R., ft. of Clarkson St.; Office, 4 Bowling Green. (Liv- 
erpool, via Queenstown.) 
Guion Z/«i'.— Pier 38, N. R., ft. of King st. ; office, 35 Broadway. (Liverpool, via 

Queenstown.) 
Hamburg American Packet Company.— \lo\ioVQ.\\ ; offices, 37 and 6i Broadway. 

(Hamburg, via Southampton.) 
Inman Z/w.— Pier 43, N. R., adjoining Christopher St. ferry; office, 6 Bowhng 

Green. (Liverpool, via Queenstown.) 
" Monarch " Line. — (See Wilson Line.) 

National Z/w.— Pier 39 (new), N. R. ; office 27 State st. (London.) 
Netherlands Line.— ]exsQy City, ft. of York st. ; office, 39 Broadway. (Rotterdam 

and Amsterdam.) 
Norddentscher Lloyd [German) Z/;/.'.— Hoboken, ft. of 2d St.; office, 2 Bowhng 

Green. (Bremen via Southampton.) 
Red Star Line.—]Qxsty City, Pennsylvania R. R. pier, ft. of Montgomery st. ; office, 

6 Bowling Green. (Antwerj).) 
State Steamship Company.— V\tx 34 (new) foot of Canal st. ; office, 53 Broadway. 

(Cilasgow.) 
White Star Line.—V\tx 45 (new) N. R. ft. of W. loth st. ; office, 41 Broadway. 

(Liverpool, via Queenstown.) 
Other lines carry few, if any, passengers. 

COASTWISE steamships: 

Atlas Steamship Company.— V\ex 55 (new), N. R., ft. of W. 2Sth st. ; office, 24 

State St. (West Indies and Mosquito Coast ports.) 
Clyde Steamship Company.— V\(ix 29, E. R., ft. of Roosevelt st. ; office, 5 Bowling 

Green. (Charleston and Florida.) 
Crovnvell Line.-Vxex 9, N. R., ft. of Rector st. (New Orleans.) 
Honduras &= Central American Cotitpany. — Brooklyn, Atlantic Dock; office, 19 

Whitehall st. (Kingston, Grey town, etc.) 
yI/(?//w7 Z/w.— Pier 20, East River, Burling Slip; office, 362 Broadway (Galve- 
ston.) 
New York &^ Cuba Mail Steamship Company. — Pier 16, E. R., ft. of Wall St.; 

office, 113 Wall St. (Havana and other ports in Cuba and Mexico ) 
Old Dominion Steamship Company. — Pier 26, N. R., ft. of Beach st. ; office, 235 

West St. (Norfolk, Richmond, etc.) 
Pacific Mail Steamship Cf^w/f^/n/.— Pier 34, N. R., ft. of Canal St.; office on the 

pier. (California, China and Japan, via Isthmus of Panama.) 
Red D Z/w.— Pier 36, E. R. foot of Jefferson St.; office, 71 Wall st. (West 

Indies and Carribean Coast.) 
Savannah Line. — Pier 35, N.R., ft of Spring s-t. ; office, 317 Broadway. (Savannah.) 

All of the steamship landings are adjacent to horse-cars (tram-cars) to all parts 
of the city ; several of the principal hotels, including the Windsor, Brevoort, 
Fifth Avenue, and some others, send their own coaches to meet the incoming 
steamers of the transatlantic lines ; and any number of cabs and baggage transfer 



32 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

agencies or wagons will be found at the street-end of the wharf, the rules and 
customs of which are detailed farther on. 

Rlmr and Sound Steamboats. 

The only lines of River and Long Island Sound steamers with which we need 
concern ourselves here, are those that do more than a merely local traffic, and con- 
nect at their further end with railways ; they are, principally, the People's and the 
Citizens' lines to Albany and Troy, the Catskill, Kingston and Newburg lines, and 
the " Mary Powell " on the Hudson River ; and the Old Colony, Providence, 
Stonington, Norwich, New Haven and Bridgeport lines, on Long Island Sound. 
The river boats cease running during the winter months, when the Hudson is 
impeded by ice, but the Sound boats are rarely interrupted or even delayed. 
Most of the Hudson River boats touch at W. 22d St., and some of the Sound lines 
halt at E. 23d st. The ordinary time of arrival is between 5 and 7 A. M., or, for 
the day lines, toward sunset. The landings of all these boats (save those of the 
New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport lines) are close together on the North 
River, at the foot of the streets following : 

Albany Day Line Vestry. 

Albany, People's Line (night) Canal. 

Albany & Troy, Citizens' Line Christopher. 

Catskill (Catskill R. R.) Jay. 

Kingston (Ulster & Delaware R. R.) Harrison. 

Newburg (two lines) ... Vestry or Franklin. 

" Mary Powell " Vestry. 

Old Colony line (Old Colony R. R.) Murray. 

Providence (Railroad to Boston) Warren. 

Stonington (Railroad to Boston) .Canal. 

Norwich (New London & Northern R. R.) Desbrosses. 

The New Haven line (N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R.) lands at Peck Slip, just above 
Fulton Market, East River ; the Hartford boats at the pier next below, and the 
Bridgeport (Housatonic R. R.) line at the foot of Catherine St., E. R. 

Railway Stations. 

The railway termini are situated as follows : 

Baltimore & Ohio, Philadelphia & Reading, Cenfral R. R. of New 
Jersey (Bound Brook Route), and dependencies, Communipaw, Jersey City, 
reaching New York by ferries to foot of Liberty st. The nearest El. Ry. stations 
are Liberty st., on Ninth Av. line, and Cortlandt st. on Sixth Av. line. 

Pennsylvania Railroad, Lehigh Valley, N. Y., Susquehanna & Western, 
N. J. Midland, and dependencies, Jersey Citv, with ferries to the foot of Cort- 
landt and Desbrosses sts. The Cortlandt St. ferry is the best one to take for a 



ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK. 33 

person going to the Astor House, the Post Office, the Brookhn Biidge, or uptown 
by any of the elevated roads. The Desbrosses St. ferry-house, however, is 
regarded l)y the company as its main N-ew York station, and thither goes the bag- 
gage checked " New York," unless it be particularly checked to " Cortlandt St., N. 
\'.," at the beginning of the journey. For Brooklyn take the Annex boat from the 
Jersey City side. 

New York, Lake Erie & Western (Erie) Railway, Chicago & Atlan- 
tic, and local dependencies, Pavonia av., Jersey City, reaching New York by 
ferries to Chambers st. and W. 23d st. The former is within three blocks of the 
Warren St. station, of the Ninth Av. El. Ry. or of the Chambers St. station of the 
Sixth Av. El. Ry.; and within six blocks of the City Hall, Post Office, Brooklyn 
Bridge and the City Hall station of the Thu'd and Second Av. El, Rys From 
the W. 23d St. ferry-house, horse-cars run in several directions. An Annex boat 
goes to Brooklyn. 

Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, and Morris & Essex R. Rs. have a 
depot in Hoboken, whence ferries come to Barclay St., and to Christopher st., 
New York. Barclay St. landing is near to the Barclay St. station on the Ninth 
Av. El. Ry., and to Park Place station on the Sixth Av. El. Ry.; it is five blocks 
from the Post Office, and seven blocks from the City Hall station of the Third 
A v. El. Ry. and the Brooklyn Bridge, and this ferry should be taken for Brooklyn, 
as there is no Annex boat from Hoboken. At Christopher st. is a station of the 
Ninth av. El. Ry. and horse-cars to Union Square and elsewhere. 

The West Shore and the Ontario & Western R. Rs. and their western 
connections come into a depot at Weehawken, north of Hoboken. A downtown 
ferry brings passengers to the foot of Jay st., close by Chambers (see Erie R. R., 
above) ; and an uptown ferry crosses directly to the foot of W. 42d st., whence 
horse-cars radiate to all parts of the city. There is also an Annex boat directly to 
Fulton St., Brooklyn, leaving after the arrival of important trains. 

This finishes the list of stations on the New Jersey shore ; whether the long- 
talked-of tunnel underneath the Hudson, or the bridge over it, will some day allow 
the western railroads an actual entrance to Manhattan Island, remains to be seen. 
At present there is only one passenger station (save the purely local one in W. 
30th St.) on the island. This is the Grand Central Depot, next to be mentioned. 

The New York Central & Hudson River R. R., the New York & Har- 
lem R. R., and the New York, New Haven & Hartford R. R. unite their 
termini in the Fourth Av. Tunnel, which leads them to the Grand Central Depot 
at Fourth av. and E. 42d st. This tunnel, which occupies the center of Fourth 
(or Park) av., is 4^ miles long and perfectly straight. At first it is simply an 
open cut, then, where the ground is low (Harlem flats), it becomes for a short dis- 
tance a viaduct of masonry arching over the east-and-west cross-streets. At I30tb 



34 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 



St. the rising ground forces the road into a tunnel of rock and brickwork, diviikd 
by longitudinal arches into three apartments carrying four tracks, which continue 
south to 45th St. The central part of this." tunnel " is, to a great extent, open 
above, and spanned by ornamental bridges carrying the cross-streets. The middle 
of the street over the tunnel, and around these spacious openings in the roof, is 
planted in a continuous series of pretty little parks, leaving room for a driveway 
and sidewalks on each side of them, and this part of Park av. (as Fourth av. is here 
designated) is pleasant and fashionable for residence. Between 41st and 33d sts,, 
below the terminus, a second similar tunnel is used by horse-cars. 

The Grand Central Depot is a large building in the French style, which faces 
42d St. across Fourth av., and extends along Vanderbilt av. for almost three blocks. 
It is occupied by the waiting rooms and general offices of the three companies 
above mentioned, each quite separate from the others, and with separate entrances. 
Those of the New Haven road are on the 42d st. front, while the Harlem and Cen- 
tral companies occupy the western side. In the rear is a general train-house 695 
feet long, covered by a glass and iron roof, having a single arch of a span of 200 
ft., and an altitude of no ft. This train-house was soon outgrown, however, and 
is now devoted wholly to outgoing trains, all arriving trains coming into an 
annexed building just east of it, where the facilities for discharging passengers are 
greatly increased. This arrival station faces 42d st., and horse-cars of the Fourth 
Av. line will be found inside its doors ready to cany passengers directly down 
town, past Madison and Union squares, and along the Bowery to the Post Office 
and Brooklyn Bridge, crossing all lateral lines. A stairway within the doors leads 
directly to a branch of the Third Av. El Ry., which is the quickest route to 
Brooklyn. Horse-cars passing the door on 42d st. will carry the passenger directly 
to the W. 42d St. station of the Sixth Av. El. Ry., about ten minutes' walk west- 
ward. The arriving baggage is stored in this station until called for. Uniformed 
porters are on hand to assist passengers in reclaiming it ; there is no charge, but 
a small " tip " will accelerate their movements. Baggage-express and cab offices 
are in the building, and hotel coaches and cabs stand at the door, where policemen 
and detectives are always at hand to see that no one annoys or imposes upon the 
busy and perhaps somewhat bewildered passenger. The system is so perfect and 
the management so strong at this great station, that any confusion or difficulty is 
extremely rare, in spite of the enormous crowds handled. There is no safer place 
for man, woman or child, stranger or citizen, in the city of New York, than the 
Grand Central station. It forms a sub-precmt of police, provided with a regular- 
station and lock-up (in the basement). There are also restaurants within the 
building, as well as just across the street, barber shops, telegraph and messenger 
offices, etc., etc. Into this station must come all passengers by rail from Montreal, 
Quebec, and the Maritime Provinces of Canada, and from all New England and 



r-o- \ I -^* ' 1"^"^ 1^ III 

^ 1, \ 1^— J ja 11,-^^ ill' 

( \' 



■.-*-* ->-* U '" 











P m GEIIBgL 

HUDSON lira PILROP. 

TheONLYLlE liTEiGMI IYofllEWYORK. 

THE MOST DIRECT ROUTE TO 

The West, North-West, North, and South-West. 

Eight Magnificently Appointed Passenger Trains 

Daily Traverse the Empire State between 

New York and Buffalo and the West. 

SCENERY UNEQUALED, 

EQUIPMENT UNSURPASSED. 
WAGNER DRAWING-ROOM, SLEEPING, AND DINING CARS 

ON ALL EXPRESS TRAINS. 



The Direct Line to Niagara Falls. 

All Trains Arrive at and Depart from 

GRMND OENTRML- STMTION 

4th Avenue and 42d Street, New York, 

Largest and finest passenger station in America, and the only one in the City of 

New York. 

Ticlvets over the New York Central and connecting lines can be obtained at 
the following oflices: ^ 

NEW YORK: Nos. 413, 785 942. 1 Broadway, 12 Park Place, 
53 West 125th St., 138th St. and Grand Central Stations. 

BROOKLYN :-Nos. 333 Washington Street, 726 Fulton Street, 
and 398 Bedford Avenue. 

JOHN M. TOUCEY, GEORGE H. DAN I ELS, 

Gene al :Manager, General Passenger Agent, 

Grand Centr.^l Station, New York. 



ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK. 35 

Northern New York points, by whatever route ; and all passengers ticketed over 
the New York Central R. R. Ijy its western connections. 

The Long Island R. R. discharges its passengers in Brooklyn at its station on 
Flatbush av. (see Brooklyn); and at its station on East River, in Long Island 
City, whence ferries bring passengers to New York at James Slip (down town, 
near Fulton St.), Or at the foot of E. 34th st. From the latter landing horse-cars 
run across town (through 23d and 42d sts.) ; and it is a branch station of both 
the Second and Third Av. El. Rys. 

The arrival stations of the railways which reach the city by ferry over the Hud 
son River, are mentioned on pages 32 and ll, and again in Chapt. III. under 
Ferries. At each one the coaches of several prominent hotels will be 
found on the arrival of the principal express trains from the west. Cabs are 
always numerous, baggage-express agencies will be found at or near each, and 
horse-cars go from each to all parts of the city. 

Baggage Transfers and Delivery. 

Ordinary baggage may be taken with you if you employ a hackman, and the 
delay, otherwise inevitable, will be avoided. The hotel 'busses get baggage for 
their patrons very promptly also. For those who do not hire cabs or carriages, 
that American institution, the " express delivery service," is easily available here 

Baggage Express. — On all important incoming trains, a uniformed solicitor 
for either Dodd's (N. Y. Transfer Co.) or Westcott's baggage delivery company 
passes through the train seeking orders. He will take your checks, giving a 
receipt therefor, and deliver your baggage to any part of New York or Brooklyn 
for 40 cents a piece ; to Jersey City, from the Grand Central Depot, the charge is 
75 cents. The payment may be made in advance or on receipt of the article at 
the house, which will be in the course of two hours, ordinarily, if not earlier. 
These companies hold that delivery is made by placing the trunk or valise inside 
the front door of the hotel or house ; and they permit their men to charge an addi- 
tional 10 or 25 cents for carrying it upstairs. This annoyance may be avoided by 
employing an outside responsible agency, such as the Union Transfer Company 
or Jackson's Express (which have agents at the Grand Central Depot, and main 
offices down town), whose men are instructed to place the trunk in any part of the 
house desired without extra fee. 

Caution." — Never give up jour checks to anyone but a uniformed train-solicitor, 
or a regular office agent or porter of either the transportation company which holds 
the baggage or of the express company to which you mean to entrust it ; and always 
take a receipt ; and never give up your checks, if you claim your baggage yourself, 
to any person except the uniformed baggage-men of the railway or steamboat line 
by which you have travelled. If you expect to meet or visit friends in the city, 



36 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 



who are old residents, the best way probably is to keep your checks and let your 
friend manage the delivery of your baggage for you. lie may know private 
expressmen who will do the work cheaper than the large companies ; but it is 
dangerous for an entire stranger to attempt to economize in this way, since, like 
the man who went down to Jericho, he may " fall among thieves." 

Outgoing Baggage. — When you get ready to leave the city, an expressman 
will call at your house, and take and deliver your baggage at any station for from 
25 to 40 cents a piece. Dodd's and Westcott's companies (both of which have 
many branch offices in New York and in all the adjoining cities), will check your 
baggage at the house to your destuiation in any part of the country, so that you 
need have no trouble vvith it at the railway station; but you must have bought 
your railway ticket in advance, and must pay 10 cent* additional for the accommo- 
dation. 

Hacks and Cabs. 



The rich, we are told, " they 
ride in chaises," and they may 
be expected to understand the 
cost and be ready to pay it. 
The majority of persons, how- 
ever, will be willing to forego 
both the expense and discom- 
fort of driving in a hack over 
the city pavements. Travellers 
often stop over in New York on 
through tickets from the South 
or West to New England, or vice versa. 
All such tickets contain a coupon, entitling 
the passenger to a ride in the coaches of the 
Transfer Co. across the city, between the Grand Central 
Depot and any ferry station, or to any hotel or suitable 
stopping point between these points. These coaches meet 
all the great express trains, and may be taken advantage 
of as indicated above. Carriages or cabs may be hired of the train solicitors above 
mentioned at the following rates: Two-horse coaches, by the hour, Jr. 50 for the 
first hour or part, and 75 cents for each succeeding half-hour or part; by the mile, 
$1 for the first mile or part, and 40 cents for each succeeding half-mile or part. 
One-horse cabs, by the hour, $1 for the first, and 50 cents for each succeeding 
half-hour or part; by the mile, 50 cents for the first mile, and 25 cents for each 




ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK. 37 

succeeding half-mile. If you wait till you arrive and then hire a carriage, be sure 
to have a distinct understanding with the hackmaii as to the pay, or a wrangle and 
attempt to over-charge at the end of the journey is sure to result. 

" The New York hack-driver," remarks a recent writer, " is never content to 
accept the legal fare until convinced that he will get no more. Consult the table 
of legal fares given below, a copy of which should be posted in the hack, together 
with the number of the license and the owner's name and address. Having done 
this, and figured out the sum which the driver is entitled to, tender it to him, and 
if he declines to take it, refuse to pay him any more, provided you are willing to 
go to the Mayor's office to have the matter settled. If the rates of fare, etc., are 
not posted in the hack, you are under no obligation to pay at all except at the 
Mavor's office, to which the driver will surely summon you if you owe him more 
than the fine of $5 which he may be compelled to pay. Every licensed vehicle is 
bound to have the driver's number, cut from a metal plate, and fastened across his 
lamp." 

Cabs — By the mile. — 50 cts. for the first mile, and 25 cts. for each additional half-mile. For 
stops over five minutes and not exceeding- 15, 25 cts.; for longer stops, 25 cts. for each 15 
minutes. By the Hour. — With the privilege of going and stopping to suit yourself, $1 fur the 
first hour, or part thereof, and 50 cts. for each additional half-hour. This tariff includes 
Hansom cabs. 

Coaches — By the mile. — One dollar for the first mile or part thereof ; and each additional 
half-mile or part thereof, 40 cts. By distance for " stops ' 38 cts. for each 15 minutes. For 
brief stop not over 5 minutes, no charge. By the Hour. — $1.50 first hour or part thereof, and 
each succeeding half-hour or part thereof, 75 cents. From "line balls "one or two pas- 
sengers, to any point south of 59th St., $2 ; each additional passenger, 50 cts. ; north of 59th 
St, each additional mile 50 cts. 

" Carriages and cabs are found at the various railway depots and ferries on 
the arrival of trains, at the principal hotels, and at the City Hall Park, and Union 
and Madison sqs. The legal fares are understood to be for one or two persons in 
a cab, or for 'one, two, three, or four persons in a carriage ; while children under 8 
vears are to be carried free when accompanied by adults. It also includes the 
carrying of one piece of baggage ; for all pieces over one a sjjecial bargain must 
be made. If the hack is engaged without any understanding between driver and 
passenger, the hiring of the hack should be regarded as being by the mile." 

The fare everywhere on the trains of the elevated railroads and on all the horse- 
cars in New York, Brooklyn and the New Jersey cities, is five cents without regard 
to distance. 

Hotels, Lodging Houses and Restaurants. 

HOTELS. 

New York has always been proud of its hotels, which are almost numberless 
and which year by year increase in excellence of service and splendor of appoint- 
ments. They are scattered from the Battery to Harlem River, but few of promi- 
nence are farther than a square or two from Broadway or Fifth av., and all the 
foremost are between Madison sq. and Central Park. One of the signs of cosmo- 
politan growth in this city is the wide adoption of the " European " plan of hotel- 



38 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

keeping, two-tliiids of the hotels, great and little, now following that method, or 
combining it with the other. 

Hotels on the American plan furnish lodging, meals at fixed hours, attend- 
ance, etc., at a price varying from $2 to $5 a day, with unlimited enlargement for 
extra fine rooms and other advantages. At these hotels breakfast, luncheon, 
dinner, both at mid-day and at night, tea at night for those who dine at mid-day, 
and supper until midnight, are the meals set by the most expensive. It should be 
noted that the proprietors charge travellers for the meal which is on the table 
when they arrive, and also for the one on the table when they are departing. As 
there is scarcely a break from daylight till midnight, a person will be quite sure to 
be charged for one, if not two, more meals than he has eaten, unless he is careful. 
The best way is to insist in atlvance, when registering your name at the clerk's 
office, that your account begin with the first meal which you propose eating. For 
example, " breakfast " at the larger hotels lasts until eleven o'clock, and if you 
arrive at 10 130 you are charged with it, thougli lunch or dinner is where your 
account really begins, since you have breakfasted at an earlier hour on the incom- 
ing train, and do not propose to eat again ; hence you should make the stipula- 
tion that your account begin with the noon meal, or else refuse to remain at the 
house. 

The hotels upon the American plan are mainly patronized bv persons of 
regular life, who can command their time; and are largely inhabited by permanent 
boarders, who can get greatly reduced rates, and who prefer this mode of living to 
housekeeping with its worries and responsibilities. Hence several of the very 
finest hotels in the city are conducted under this system, and some of the most 
expensive and elegant are little known to the travelling public, because so well 
sustained by families of New York people. Following is a list of the principal 
hotels on the American plan, with the lowest ordinary rate, by the day, for one per- 
son, higher rates being charged for superior room accommodations : 

Fifth Avenue, Broadway and 23d St. (Madison sq.) — $5. 

Windsor, Fifth av. and 46th st. — $6. 

Sherwood House, Fifth av. and 44th St. 

Metropolitan, 5S4 Broadway — $3. 

Miller's, 37 to 41 W. 26th st. 

Madison A-vcnne, Madison av. and 58th St. 

Lenox, Fifth av. and 36th st. 

Avrill House, 132 W. 42d st. 

Westmittster, Irving PI. and i6th st. 

Bristol, Fifth av. and 4 2d st. 

City, 393 Lexington av. 

Earless, Canal and Centre sts. — $2. 

Grainercy Park House, Gramercy Park. 

Oriental, 13 Lafayette Place and 1414 Broadway. 




C=^a^ q^AiWD CJntrail, fil^POT, 



W, D. GARRISON, Manager. 



600 R007VTS KT 



$1.00 PER Day 

A.ND UPWARDS. EUROPEAN PLAN. 



First-class Restaurant, Dining-Rooms, Cafe, and Lunch 
Counter, a la carte, at moderate prices. 



GUESTS' BAGGAGE TO AND FROM GRAND CENTRAL DEPOT FREE 



Travelers arriving via Grand Central Depot save Car- 
riage-hire and Baggage Express by stopping 
at the Grand Union. 



The photograph 011 preceding page shows a portion of 
this Hotel, and its nearness to the Grand Central Depot. 



ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK. 39 

Combination Plan. — Several prominent hotels combine both plans, and the 
traveler may choose which he prefers ; among them are : 

Ashland, Fourth av. and 24th st. — Am. $3, Eur. %\. 

Bradford, 65 E. nth st. 

Bitrliiigtoii, Fifth av. and 30th st. 

C/art'iidon, 217 Fourth av. 

Gladstone, Broadway and 59th st. 

Grand Central, 671 iJroadway. — Am. $2.50, P2ur. $1. 

Hotel America, 15 Irving Place. 

Hotel EspaTiol c Hispano-Ainericano, 116 W. 14th st. 

Hotel Royal, Sixth av. and 40th st. 

Murray Hill, Park av. and 41st st. — Am. $4.50, Eur. %2. 

Stnrtevant, 1186 Broadway. — Am. $3.50, Eur. $1.50. 

Victoria, Fifth av. and 27th st. — Am. ;S4.50, Eur. ^2. 

Wellington, Madison av. and 42d st. 

European Plan. — The hotels conducted wholly upon the European plan are in 
the following list, so far as they are important to know. In these hotels rooms 
are rented, with gas, service, towels, etc., at so much a day, and one is at liberty 
to take his meals in the restaurant attached to the hotel, or anywhere else. The 
prices range from %\ a night for a single room (minimum) in the hotels below 
Union Square to $2 and $3 above that point ; but especially good rooms and 
extra privileges must be paid for at higher rates. As a general rule, the bigger 
the hotel and the more fashionable its surroundings the higher the price, but $1.50 
for a single room and $2 to $3 for two persons together will procure accommoda- 
tions quite satisfactory to most travelers, (see also above). 

LIST OF HOTELS ON EUROPEAN PLAN. 

Al'crdeen, Broadway and 21st st. — $1. 

Albemarle, Broadway and 24th st. — $2. 

Arno, 2Sth st. and Broadway. 

Astor, 225 Broadway — $1.50. 

Barrett House, Broadway and 43d st. — ^^l. 

Bartholdi, cor. 23d st. and Broadway. 

Belvedere, Fourth av. and i8th st. 

Brevoort, 11 Fifth av. — $2. 

Brower House, Broadway and 28th St. — $1, 

Buckingham, Fifth av. and 50th st. — $2. 

Coleman, 1 169 Broadway — %\. 

Colonnade, 35 Lafayette Place and 726 Broadway. — %\- 

Continental, 904 Broadway cor. 20th st. — $1. 

Cosmopolitan, Chambers st. and W. Broadway — $1. 

Cumberlatid, 945 Broadway. 

Everett, Fourth av. and 17th st. (Union Square). 

Everett's Hotel and Dining Rooms, 104 Vesey st. — 75 cents. 

Gedney House, Broadway and 40th st. — ^i. 



40 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Gilsey, Broadway and 29th st. — $2. 

G/cnJiam, 155 Fifth av. — ^$1. 

Grand, Broadway and 31st st. — $2. 

Grand Union, Fourth av. and 42d st. — %i. 

Grosvenor, 37 Fifth av. 

Hamblen's Hotel, 148 Chambers st. 

Hamilton, 42d st. and 50th av. 

Hoffman, mi Broadway. — $2. 

Hotel Brunsiuick, 225 Fifth av. — ^2. 

Hotel Dam, 104 E. 15th st. — $2. 

Hotel Devonshire, 30 E. 42d st. — $1. 

Hotel Hungaria, 4 Union sq. — ^i. 

Hotel Imperial, Broadway and 32d st. 

Hotel Martin, 17 University pi. cor. 9th st. — $1. 

Hotel Metropole, Broadway and 41st st. — #1. 

Hotel Monico, 7 E. l8th st. — $1. 

Hotel Normandie, 38th st. and Broadway. — $z. 

Hotel St. George, 825 Broadway. — %\. 

Hotel St. Mare, Fifth av. and 39th st. 

Hotel St. Step/ten, 50 E. nth St.— $1. 

International, 17 and 19 Parl< row. — $1. 

Irving House, i Irving pi. 

Lafayette, 9 Waverly pi. 

Langham , Fifth av. and 52d st. 

Leggetfs, 76 Park Row. — 75 cents. 

Mitchell House, Broadway and 42d St. 

Morton House, liroadway and 14th st. — %i. 

Mount Morris, 2396 Third av. (Harlem). 

Nezv York Hotel, 721 Broadway. — $1.50. 

Oriental, Broadway and 39th st. — $r. 

Parker, 1303 Broadway. 

Park Avenue, Fourth av. and 32d st. — %z. 

Plaza, 5th av. and 59th St. 

Putnam House, 367 Fourth av. 

Revere, 606 Broadway. — ■$!. 

Saint Charles, 648 Broadway. 

Sai)it Cloud, Broadway and 42d st. — $1. 

Saint Denis, Broadway and nth st. — $1.00. 

Saint James, 1 133 Broadway. — $2. 

Saint Nicholas, 4 Washington pi. — $r. 

Saint Omer, 384 and 386 Sixth av. 

Sinclair House, 75^ Broadway cor. 8th st. — $1. 

Sinith &= McNeils, 199 Washington St. — 75 cts. 

Stevens House, 27 Broadway.' — %\. 

Sweeney^s Hotel, 106 Park Row.— 75 cts. 

Szueet^s, 4 Fulton st. — 75 cts. 

Tremont, 665 Broadway. — %\. 

Union Square, 16 Union sq. — $2. 

United States, Fulton and Water sts. — %\. 

Vanderbilt, 42 d st. and Lexington av. — ^i. 



ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK. 41 

Veiidotne, Broadway and 41 st. — $2. 
Westmoreland., P'ourth av. and 17th St. 
Winthrop, 2088 7th av. 

Extras.^In all these hotels, of whatever plan, no " extras " will be found 
unexpectedly swelling the bill as so vexatiously happens in Europe ; except, that 
meals sent to private rooms, baths (when no bath is attached to the bed-room which 
you occupy) and fires, or, in some cases the turning on of steam-heat, are charged as 
extras. The fire is usually one of hard coal in an open grate, and costs from 50 
cents to $1.00 a day; and 50 cents is the ordinary charge for a bath. In almost 
every hotel will be found telegraph oiSces, barber and boot-blacks, newstands and 
theatre-ticket offices ; and in many, railway ticket offices, and agents of the bag- 
gage transfer companies and carriage-lines. These men are authorized, and may 
be dealt with without hesitation. 

Characteristics of prominent Hostelries.— This is not the place to make 
any recommendations, but it is proper to remark upon a few distinctions which 
have been acquired by certain of the older hostelries. It would be difficult to 
divide them into classes, since they grade down by infinitesimal degrees from the 
palaces on Murray Hill to the " for-gentlemen-only " business shelters around the 
Post Office. Perhaps the most widely known of those on the American plan is 
the Fifth Avenue, which faces Madison sq., where Broadway, Fifth av. and 23d 
St. intersect Half a century ago or more Corporal Thompson's diminutive 
yellow tavern, once a farmer's cottage, stood here, and became an objective point 
for what in 1S30 was a long walk mto the fields, and a stopping place for drivers 
on the Bloomingdale road. The hotel is a large, plain, dignified edifice of white 
marble, capable of housing 1000 guests, and its corridors are filled every evening 
with politicians and elderly men-about-town. This hotel has long been the fa- 
vorite stopping-place of officials, and it has entertained, during the last 25 years,' 
far more public men than any other hotel in town. The Victoria and Hoffman 
are also political centers, the latter being the choice of the Democratic politicians 
in particular. Another very noted hotel is the Windsor, which is the residence of 
many active financiers, and the resort in the evening of a crowd of brokers, specu- 
lators and railway men interested in stocks and securities. The Murray Hill and 
Gilsey houses are also favorites with railway officers. At the Brunswick congre- 
gate \}n&jeit}iesse dorel who are interested in sport, and from its door start the 
drag parades and the trips of the amateur coaches. At the St. James, racing men 
congregate. The Hoffman is also a resort of turfmen and the sporting fraternity, 
and is noted for its extravagantly furnished bar-room, filled with costly paintings, 
statuary, tapestries and other artistic ornaments. The Everett, Albermarle, 
Union Square, and Morton houses are sustained largely by the patronage of the 



42 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

dramatic profession. To the Brevoort and Clarendon go an unusual number of 
Englishmen of rank or wealth, who find in the quiet, old-fashioned elegance of the 
former, especially, something nearer an English inn than are any of the others in 
town. The Westminster, for some reason, is a great stopping place for mem- 
bers of the diplomatic service, while army and navy officers generally put up at 
the Sturtevant. The Astor is the leading hotel down town, and is always crowded 
with business men ; it has lost nothing but the use of its ground floor by the long 
increase of years it has seen ; and an enormous number of men gather daily in its 
" rotunda " to eat a hot luncheon and to drink at its great circular bar, which is 
said to be the largest institution of its kind in existence. The St. Denis, a popu- 
lar up-town hotel pleasantly located opposite Grace Church, is favored principally 
by people of moderate means, and ladies shopping. The New York has always 
been a favorite with Southerners, the Grand Central and Metropolitan with west- 
ern merchants, and the Grand Union and Murray Hill with the people of New 
England. Such quiet, somewhat retired hotels as Miller's, the St. Stephen, the 
Continental, the Colonnade, the Hotel Royal and others of that stamp are very 
suitable for family parties, or for ladies alone, who are disposed to comfort rather 
than display. The Park Avenue occupies the building erected by A. T. Stewart, 
and intended by him to be a woman's hotel, but which proved an unsuccessful 
beneficence. The names in the French, Italian and Spanish languages above 
written, indicate the Latin nationalities that support them. Many small German 
hotels occur on the East Side and in Harlem, but no distinctively German hotel 
of large size has yet been erected or called for. A colored man maintains a small 
hotel in W. 27th St., for patrons of his own color, who are not received, as a rule, 
in the first-class hotels of the city — the only social distinction yet prevalent in 
New York against giving a man of African descent equal privileges in public 
places with a man of Caucasian or Mongolian descent. 

A lady, unescorted may sometimes be refused admission to Ji hotel, by a plea 
of lack of rooms or some evasion of that kind. It is well, therefore, for ' lone 
women," especially if young, to write or telegraph in advance of their intention to 
arrive at a certain time ; or better yet to take a note of introduction. In case a 
lady finds herself unexpectedly alone and unacquainted in the city, and compelled 
to go to a hotel for the night, let her do so without hesitation, however, since the 
great probability is that she will meet with no more obstacle than if father or 
husband were with her , but if she does, she has only to insist upon her legal 
right, so long as her behavior is justifiable, to remain in a house of public enter- 
tainment, and deliberately do so. If this does not answer its purpose, and the 
lady thinks it worth the trouble, as compared with seeking another hotel, let her 
take a cab and drive to the nearest police station. A simple motion in this 
direction would bring any but a particularly foolish hotel keeper to terms, since 



ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK. 43 

it would mean an " item " for industrious reporters, of which the average Boniface 
stands in holy horror. The justification for any such inliospitality is, of course, 
the necessity of keeping dissolute characters of every kind out of any house of 
good reputation ; and the " lone female " is only one of the classes of applicants 
sometimes regarded with suspicion. 

Fees to servants in hotels are not generally regarded as necessary, although 
this bad, un-American custom is creeping into the more fashionable and modern 
ones up town. A small fee to your -waiter in the dining-room is generally given, 
however. Persons fresh from an experience in hotels in western and northern 
towns will find in New York a sweet relief from the crushing magnificence and 
awful superiority of that magnate, the " clerk." New York is too big and busy a 
place for that sort of affectation to flourish. 

Payment. — No traveller without baggage ought to consider it an insult to be 
asked to pay his bill for a certain period in advance ; and at most hotels, espe- 
cially those on the European plan, this will be required, unless the proprietor 
knows you — not, it is to be hoped, because he knows you ! 

Lodging and Boarding Houses. 

Furnished Rooms. — Private lodgings or " furnished rooms," as the New 
York phrase goes, are preferred to an hotel by many persons, and in some respects 
are to be recommended. By this is meant, however, simply the rental of a fur- 
nished room, with possibly the taking of breakfast in the same house. " Lodg- 
ings " in the London sense of the word, where the person from whom you hire the 
room procures and cooks for you such food as you direct her to do, is unknown in 
New York, except in the case of a few buildings designed for suites of wealthy 
bachelors, which aspect of the case does not fall within the present purpose. A 
very large proportion of the permanent, or at any rate habitual, residents of the 
city, however, dwell in rooms rented from private families, and this custom is as 
wide, and the rates and accommodations are as various, as the extent and diversity 
of the residence districts. In the crowded tenements on the East Side and south 
of Washington Square, squalid families who nest together in one or two dirty 
rooms will take " boarders ; " and so on up to the splendor of bachelor suites 
overlooking Central Park. It will be understood, therefore, that the requirements 
of any degree of economy may be met ; and for a visitor of moderate purse, who 
means to remain in town a fortnight or more, private lodgings are to be recom- 
mended. He can suit himself, without much trouble, in the district between 
Sixth and Eighth avenues, from 9th st. north to 20th or farther, by paying $7 to 
$8 a week for a room on the parlor floor (all the houses in that region are of the 
four-story, high-stoop pattern), and about $1 less for each story as he climbs 
toward the attic. Sitting-room and bedroom together will double this estimate. 



44 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

The room will be neatly, perhaps elegantly, furnished, clean and well ventilated. 
The use of the bath, gas, and ordinary chambermaid service are included, and 
visitors may usually make a reasonable use of the general parlor, but fire, ice- 
water and other things are extras. An exact bargain as to them and everything 
else should be made in advance, and no promise to remain longer than from week 
to week ought to be conceded (though it is likely to be asked for) as you cannot 
foresee what your experience is to be. A reference will often be required from 
you; and payment for a week in advance is usually insisted upon. Your mail, if 
addressed to the house, will be received from the carrier at the basement door, 
and either taken to your room by the landlady, or, more likely, laid upon the hall 
table, with that of other lodgers. This may seem risky, and under certain cir- 
cumstances, is so; but the courts have decided that the responsibility of the Post 
Office ceases when the letter is properly delivered at the house, and thereafter any 
meddling with the mail is a misdemeanor to be treated under State laws, the same 
as any other larceny. It is fair to say, however, that any trouble arising from this 
custom is almost unknown. Caution should be observed in making friends among 
the lodgers or with the family of the house, not because of their lack of respecta- 
bility, but for fear of possible complications with persons whom you know nothing 
about in any other way, and to avoid the often very unpleasant results of confi- 
dential gossip with people whose tongues cannot be trusted. The reserve in city 
people, which often seems a forbidding discourtesy and coldness to open-hearted 
persons accustomed to the large acquaintances and amenities of village life, is 
really the caution acquired by hard experience ; and the stranger would do well to 
profit by the example. 

East of Union Square furnished rooms abound, and Lexington avenue is 
another region prolific in "furnished rooms to let." A more expensive class is to 
be found all along both Fifth and Madison avenues, below 34th st. and on W. 34th 
and W. 42d st. The morning newspapers contain long lists of descriptive adver- 
tisements, w hich may be followed up ; or an applicant may advertise for precisely 
what he wants, and probably get a dozen answers before night. But the more 
satisfactory way is to walk through any street that strikes your fancy, in the part 
of the city selected, and ask to be shown the rooms advertised, wherever you see 
a tiny square of inscribed paper pasted upon the jamb of the front door, which in 
New York is the outward expression of an inward vacancy. If you are not pleased 
you can repeat the quest elsewhere. 

Boarding Houses. — A large number of the citizens who live in furnished 
rooms take their meals at restaurants, or room in one house and take their meals 
at another. The stranger in the city would probably prefer to either of these 
methods finding a room at a regular boarding-house, where he may eat and sleep, 
under the same roof. These institutions are plentiful in all parts of the city, and 



ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK. 45 

grade imperceptibly, as their luxuries and prices increase, into the grand 
" family hotels " and "apartment houses " where the annual rental of a suite of 
rooms runs into the thousands of dollars. 

The boarding-houses occupied by the vast army of young men and women 
employed on small salaries, are all over the city. The rates of board in these 
houses range from $5 to $10 a week, according to the location of the house and 
the room occupied. Two meals a day, breakfast and dinner at night, are fur- 
nished, and the table is the same for all, variations in price being based solely 
upon the apartments occupied. They are to be looked for in the districts above 
noted, those on the West Side being a little more expensive, as a rule, than on 
the East Side, while the highest prices must be paid along Fifth av. and in the 
vicinity of Madison Square. Above 9th st. handsome rooms and a good table 
may be had in almost any street or avenue at prices ranging, for one person, from 
$7 to $30 a week or more, the price being still graded on the room, so that if 
two persons occupy one room the price is materially decreased. Prices are about 
the same in the best parts of Harlem, Brooklyn and Jersey City. All the caution- 
ary remarks under the last heading as to an exact bargain in advance, etc., apply 
here with equal force ; and if you are at all suspicious of a place or neighborhood, 
you will do well to consult the police authorities of that precinct. 

Baths. — At every hotel and in all of the larger barber-shops in New York a 
bath may be obtained, either hot, cold, or shower, with soap and towels, uni- 
form price is 25 cents. 

At the Battery are salt water swimming baths. Single bath, 25 cts. ; warm salt 
baths, 30 cts. ; private baths, same price. Russian, Turkish, and medicated baths 
are numerous and luxurious in this city. Prices of Turkish and Russian baths, 
from %i to $1.50 ; medicated baths, usually $3. Several however, charge only 
50 or 75 cents. Some of them keep open all night. The situation of these can 
easily be learned from advertisements or the directory. Free baths for the poor 
are maintained by the city along the East River front. 



Restaurants. 

General Restaurants. — No city in the world is better supplied with restau- 
rants and eating-houses of every kind than New York, and a very large class of 
the population lives wholly at them, while the whole male half of the population, 
apart from the " day laborers," may be said to patronize them for the noon meal. 
They occur in every quarter of the city, represent every grade of excellence and 
cxpensiveness, and many of them have an individuality which the experienced 



46 



GUIDE 7V NEW YORK CITY. 



citizen learns and takes advantage of, — going to one place for a particular delicacy 
or style of meal, and to another place for a different one. The monotony that 
follows sitting day after day at the same kind of table, may thus be broken 
agreeably. 

The most famous restaurant in New York, and in the United States, probably, 
is Delmoiiico's, which is conceded to stand at the head of the list. It occupies the 

whole of a tall building on 26th 
St., running through from Fifth 
av., where is the main entrance 
to the general restaurant, to 
Broadway, where is the gen- 
tlemen's cafe. On the 26th 
St. side is an entrance to the 
ball-rooms and other special 
apartments on the upper floors. 
The restaurant pr«per is a 
moderately but richly fur- 
nishqd room looking through broad win- 
dows upon Fifth av. and Madison sq. It 
is furnished with small tables for two and also with larger 
round tables, where several may dine tcjgether, and is most 
crowded about 8 o'clock in the evening, and again after the 
theatres are out, when the interior presents a most brilliant 
appearance — none more so, however, than do several other 
handsome dining-rooms in the same neighborhood at that 
hour. The cafe in the Broadway front is a large room with 
a marble floor and a great number of little marble tables, where men sit smoking, 
drinking and taking light luncheons at all hours of the day. 

Upon the second floor is a series of private parlors and dining-rooms en suite, 
and a large and finely decorated ball-room or dining-hall. Most of the public din- 
ners given by societies and the like are laid in this room, and private dinner 
parties and balls are also arranged for persons who desire it, without care or 
trouble to themselves other than paying the expenses. On the upper floors are a 
few sleeping-rooms for gentlemen. 

As the cooking and service at Delmonico's are equal to anything in the world, 
so, it must be confessed, are the prices on his meiui. Twenty-five or twice that 
number of dollars is not an uncommon bill for a dinner for a party of three or four, 
and no one need e.xpect to dine satisfactorily for less than $3 to $5, including a 
simple wine. It must be remembered, however, that here, as at all other first- 
class restaurants, what is enough for one is enough for two. If the waiter on 
taking an order for two persons inquires whether you wish one portion or two, it 
is certain that one is enough. If the point is not raised by the waiter the inquiry 
should be made by the diner. Don't leave vour wife at home, therefore, when 
you dine at Delmonico's as a part of "seeing New York," for it is just as cheap to 
take her along, and the probability is that she will enjoy it more than you do. 
But Delmonico's is not the only elegant restaurant in New York, where per- 




uT 



ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK. 47 

fectly trained service, the best cooking and handsome surroundings make the meal 
an asstlietic pleasure. Indeed there are goitnnands who assert that at some of these 
Delmonico's is surpassed. The Brunswick has a restaurant, palatial in its decora- 
tion and appointments, on the corner diagonally opposite from Delmonico's, where 
you may eat as good and expensive dinner as anywhere else in the country. The 
restaurant in the Hoffman House is another of equal rank, as also is Sieghortner's 
(German) at 18 Lafayette Place, and some small and exclusive places far up town. 
Scarcely inferior in service or price are the restaurants attached to the St. James, 
Victoria, Coleman, Gilsey, Bartholdi, Parker's, Murray Hill, Normandie and sev- 
eral other Broadway hotels. Somewhat more moderate are tlie prices at the 
Astor, St. Denis, the famous Taylor's Restaurant, Gedney, Grand Union, Ashland, 
Barrett and others of that class. Very satisfactory dinners may be obtained for 
from $1 to $2 (for two persons, and not much less for one alone) at a large class 
of restaurants represented by the Metropolitan, Sinclair, Continental, Grand 
Union and Royal hotels, and by such detached restaurants as Moquin's (20 Fulton 
St.) ; Clark's (22 \V. 23d st.) ; O'Neill's and Bristol's in Sixth av near 21st st. ; the 
Vienna Bakery, Broadway and 10th sts., Purssell's, Broadway, near 20th st and on 
42d St. opposite New Haven depot; Central Cafe, W 14th st. near Macy's, Nash 
& Brush's in Park Place, near Church st., and at many others of about the same 
appearance. Inferior in grade, and classified by the fact that only 5 cents is 
ciiarged for a cup of coffee, are a long list of restaurants, especially aljundant in 
the neighborhood of the Post Otifice, the principal ferries, and along Third, Sixth 
and Eighth avs., one of which, the Dairy Kitchen on Union sq., is something of a 
curiosity for its size, its music and its methods ; Smith & McNeil's, opposite 
Washington Market, is said to furnish more meals each 24 hours than any other 
eating house in town. These grade down into the cheapest and dirtiest form of 
eating houses in the poor quarters of town and along the water-fronts, and to the 
all night coffee-and-cake saloons that cluster in the Bowery, around the markets, 
and near the great newspaper offices where the city never sleeps. 

Oyster saloons are common everywhere, the most prominent of which are .Schaef- 
fer & Dorlon's in Fulton Market ; Dorlon's on 23d st. east of Broadway, Stewart's 
in Third av. near 14th, Silsbee's in Sixth av. near 14th, O'Neill's and Bristol's in 
Si.xth av. just below 23d, and Clark's in Sixth av. near 30th. The last named will 
be found most crowded between i and 3 A. M. " English chop houses " are adver- 
tised on many signs, but are only an imitation of such as you find in London, — 
why, it is hard to say. A writer familiar with both cities has lately asserted that 
to all American women and most men the merits of a "grill" are unknown. 
" Chops," he says, " mean to most Americans a bone scraped quite white, with a 
small piece of scalloped paper at one end and a morsel of thin, tasteless meat at 
the other. The chop proper, however, is 3 fine large gqt fron^ the loin, ^r( jnc}) 



48 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

and a quarter tliick, well outlined with firm white fat, and having a good-sized 
tenderloin, as rich and juicy as it is tender." A very good imitation of this, with 
accompaniments copied from English models can be had at " Old Tom's " in 
Thames St., in the rear of Trinity Church ; Farrish's, in John St., near William ; 
Hopcraft's, 57 Franklin st. ; Brown's, 27th st., near Broadway ; '"The Studio" 
and "Knickerbocker Cottage" in Sixth av. The prices are moderate, and 
each of these places — especially the ones down town — has a well-simulated 
air of antiquity which attracts customers of consequence. The last three being in 
the theatre district, are the resort of actors, journalists and noted men-about-town 
for a bit of supper and a mug of ale at midnight, and often they see very enter- 
taining company. 

Ladies are not supposed to go to the chop houses. Their favorite luncheon- 
places, when shopping, are the St. Denis, the Vienna Cafe, where in summer they 
cat alfresco under the vineclad, bush-shaded bower in front of the door ; the 
Dairy Kitchen, South Union sq. ; the Central Cafe and Macy's, 14th st. and Sixth 
av. ; the Jefferson Dining Rooms, Sixth av. near 13th st. ; The Continental hotel, 
Clark's and Dorlon's near Madison sq., Purssell's, Delmonico's and the St. James. 
Hundreds of women, and many men, whose appetites, or purses, or both, are 
light, drop into any one of the many little bakeries and confectioner's shops which 
abound on the side streets, and get a cup of tea and a few cakes or buns, or a 
sandwich, for 10 or 15 cents, or a plate of ice cream for as much more, and call it 
luncheon. This is a *' pomter " for ladies who do not want an expensive meal and 
yet are repulsed by the soiled table-cloths, heavy ware and rough ways generally 
of the cheaper class of eating houses. The clerks and business men down town 
may find a restaurant to suit them on nearly every block, from the quiet elegance 
of Delmonico's old stand in Beaver st. or the cheerful clamor of the Astor House 
rotunda, to the subterranean lunch-counters where a struggle goes on like that of 
feeding a lot of half-starved wolves. A few years ago a class of restaurants called 
dairies sprang up in the region below the Post Office which met with great success. 
They make milk and bread in a great variety of forms the standard nourishment, 
adding some simple desserts and pastries, and always berries and fruit in season. 
They are nearly all located between Broadway and the East River, below News- 
paper Square. 

All the restaurants heretofore spoken of are types of those where you eat ct la 
carte, that is, choose what you want from a bill of fare and pay for it by the piece ; 
an order for meat, however, includes, as a rule, a fair proportion of bread and 
butter, some simple preparation of potatoes, and often a condiment, such as 
pickles. There is, however, a class of restaurants which, while they will cook "to 
order " a meal a la carte, offer at certain hours (generally 5 to 8 P. M ) a " regular " 
dinner table d'hote, where you have only a small range of choice, and pay a fixed 



ARRIVAL nV NEW YORK 49 

sum langing from $1 50 at the Brunswick to 15 cents in Chatliam sq. The best 
and usual table d'/iofe dinners are those set by the Italian and French restaurants, 
of which New York has many excellent examples. Excellent dinners of five 
courses and accompanied by a pint bottle of fair claret, may thus be obtained at 
Martinelli's, 136 Fifth av.. at $1.25 ; Morello's, 29th st. east of Broadway, at $1.25 ; 
and Moretti's, in 21st st east of Broadway, at $1, each including wine. These are 
all Italian. In Third av.. near loth St., Colombo gives a good and essentially Neo- 
]5olitan dinner, with Chianti, for 75 cts. ; while in Fourth av. 50 cent Italian 
dinners are to be had. At the Hotel Hungaria, at the southeast corner of Union 
Square a dinner much favored by actors and musicians may be bought for 75 cts., 
with Hungarian wines at moderate rates L'Antelme's, in the next block above, 
is good. In the neighborhood of Washington sq. French restaurants abound. 
The Hotel St. Martin gives a capital dinner without wine at $1 ; but in 8th, 
4th and Bleecker sts. several neat little restaurants, such as the Giffou, Vattel's and 
May's, offer an evening /ah.'d ci'hdte, with good red or white wine, for 50 cts. Of 
these, May's, in Bleecker St., one door west of Wooster, and near the station of 
the Sixth Av. El. Ry., is a great favorite with journalists, artists and young authors. 
It is in a queer little basement room, and is a bit of the student's quarter of Paris 
brought bodily to New York. Ladies go — but rarely alone — to all of these restau- 
rants ; and the most crowded hour is from 6:30 to 7:30. Other queer little places, 
where, as usual, the proprietor is cook and comes in his white cap and apron to 
smoke a cigarette and ask you how you like your fare, are Vianest's and DeLisle's 
in Fulton st. just below William ; and there are others, but more conventional, 
like Lazard's in W. 25th st. near Sixth av., and Jacquin, 456 Sixth av. 

Many excellent German restaurants are scattered all over the East Side, in 
Harlem and in Second av. ; while many small, but decent ones are scattered 
all along the East Side streets. They give German cooking and delicacies, beer is 
an invariable accompaniment, and often a beer saloon is a part of a really excel- 
lent and thoroughly respectable eating room. Such are the " kellers " common 
below 14th St. which are thronged with men at luncheon time, and serve a table d^ 
hdte luncheon, with an elaborate bill of fare to select from in addition, if you pre- 
fer less or more than the " regular " meal. The most prominent of these German 
restaurants probably, is the RathsTveller in the basement of the Staats-Zeitzmg 
building, opposite the entrance to Brooklyn Bridge. The Post Keller, northwest 
corner Broadway and Barclay st. ; Hollender's at the corner of Chambers st ; two 
or three in Church st. near Park Place; and one on the northeast corner of Broad- 
way and Canal st. are worth mention — all in basements. Eckstein's, East 4th st. 
is a fair sample of a cheaper and more familj^-like kind of restaurant, where 
every evening, among a lot of jolly Germans, a table full of well-known artists 
may be seen making merry at an average cost for dinner of perhaps 60 cents. 



50 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Nearly all the bakeries of the city are in the hands of Germans. Going still 
farther eastward you may try, if you please, Hebrew eating-houses, Russian and 
Polish restaurants (in Division St.), until along East River you strike again the 
Irish-American "hash-house." Down in Mulberry st. (No. i8) is a full-fledged 
Chinese restaurant, elsewhere spoken of; and in the unsavory and ill-chosen 
purlieus of Cherry st. is one managed by Jaj^anese, and furnished with their food 
and drinks. 

Fees to Waiters. — The bad habit of " tipping " waiters is spreading, unfortu- 
nately, in New York. At the high-class restaurants, where the waiters are mostly 
foreigners, the custom almost amounts to an obligation — especially at the French 
tabic d^/iSte places. The fee for an ordinary meal ought not to exceed lo cents 
anywhere short of Delmonico's and the Brunswick where 25 cents at least will be 
expected, but never demanded (except at Coney Island) as is the case in Europe. 
Where one is going repeatedly to the same restauraiit and same table the "nimble 
sixpence " will make things more pleasant for him ; but in taking a single meal 
here and there nothing need be given to the waiter unless your generosity freely 
prompts it. The custom ought not to be encouraged. 



III. 

GETTING ABOUT THE CITY. 



IN spite of the multitudinous surface-cars, elevated railways, suburban steam 
roads, bridges, steam-boats and ferries, not to speak of carriages and cabs. New 
York finds herself continually in want of new methods of transit from one part of 
the city to the other, and to the neighboring cities. This is due not only to the 
enormously rapid growth of the city in population, but to the consequent spread 
of her purely commercial area, and the entailed necessity of living at a distance 
from one's place of business. Moreover the long and narrow shape of the island 
compels the great mass of travel to be back and forth in the same direction ; and 
morning and night all the public conveyances up and down town are over-crowded, 
so that more are earnestly needed. A few words in regard to the various ways of 
getting about the city will be appropriate. 

Elevated Railways. 

General Remarks. — The system of elevated railroads, which carry trains of 
cars drawn by steam locomotives, now consists of four main double-track lines, 
and a few short branches. All come together at the southern extremity of the 
island in a terminal station at South Ferry (see Ferries) alongside the Battery. 
Two lines are on the West Side and two on the East; and all reach to the Har- 
lem river, one (the "Suburban") continuing beyond, through Motthaven and 
Morrisania, to ijzd st. These trains run at intervals of one or two minutes (or 
even less, during the busiest hours of morning and evening) all the day and even- 
ing ; but the Ninth av. line does not run after nine o'clock at night, and from 
midnight to sunrise the intervals between trains are from seven to fifteen minutes. 
Strangers should be careful to note the sign at the foot of the station-stairs, which 
informs them whether that station is for " up-town " or " downtown " trains ; but 
if they forget and find themselves on the wrong side, they will be passed in free at 
the opposite station if they explain the case to the gateman where the mistake is 
made. The fare on all roads and for all distances is 5 cents. A ticket must be 
bought and thrown into the gateman's glass " chopper " box at the entrance to the 
platform. On the West Side, certain trains going down town, take the Ninth Av. 



52 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

route, while others go via Sixth av. ; others proceed only as far as Cortlandt or 
Rector streets, instead of going to the ferry. Up-tovvn West Side trains go both 
to Harlem and 58th st. (Central Park). On the East Side, going down, some 
trains go to South Ferry and others to the City Hall ; and up-town, both Second 
and Third av. trains use the same track from the Battery to Chatham sq., and 
must be distinguished. The gatemen usually call out the destination of each train 
as it approaches, but any one may quickly learn to recognize the signals on the 
locomotives, and should ask, if in doubt ; and the confusion is really not as great 
as it appears to be. All of the roads are now consolidated and under the single 
ownership and management of the Manhattan Railway Co., whose general offices 
are at No. 7 1 Broadway. 

The busiest line is the Third Avenue ; the most comfortable and cleanest cars 
are those on the Sixth Avenue. Stations down town are at intervals of about 
five blocks ; those up town, about half a mile apart. Any article lost or left in 
the cars or stations is taken to the "Lost Property Ofifice," at No. i Water st. 
(near the Battery) and can be reclaimed upon proof of ownership satisfactory to 
the clerks in charge. 

The Ninth Avenue Line is the oldest, a part of it having been constructed as 
early as 1S70. It extends from the Battery up Greenwich st., passing Washington 
Market and overlookmg much of the North River water-front, and has stations 
close to Liberty, Desbrosses and Christopher st. ferries. At West 14th st. it 
swings into Ninth av. and runs along it to 59th st. where it joins the Sixth Av. 
line. Its upper stations are at 14th, 23d, 34th, 42d, 50th and 59th streets. 

Sixth Avenue Line. — This is the main West Side line. From South Ferry 
it skirts Battery Park (q. v.) to Battery Place, which is the station for the Coney 
Island and other steamboats that sail from pier i, N. R. ; and for the Field 
Building, Produce Exchange, foreign consulates, steamship offices, and lower 
Broadway generally. (See A Tour of the City.) The course is then up New 
Church St., a name derived from the fact that it passes directly in the rear of 
Trinity and St. Paul's over ground once owned by Trinity parish. Tenements on 
the left — among whose inhabitants is a colony of Arabs — and the rear of express 
offices and the large buildings on Broadway are seen. Rector st. is the station for 
Wall St., Trinity Church and neighboring buildings. Trinity churchyard is next 
overlooked, and a glimpse of lower Broadway obtained on the right. Cortlandt 
st. is the station for Jersey City and Communiijaw ferries (see Ferries), for the 
Glen Island boats, Washington Market, and for the Coal and Iron E.xchange, 
Fulton St. and Maiden Lane, the W. U. Telegraph, Equitable and Herald build- 
ings, and St. Paul's church. This street and the next (Dey) were named after 
owners of the properties through which they were laid out, 125 years ago. St. 
Paul's church, and the graveyard in front of it (it is the rear of this church which 



GETTING ABOUT THE CITY. S3 

abuts on iSioadway) are seen on the right after leaving Corthindt St.; and just 
beyond is the massive temple of St. Peter's on the site of the oldest R. C. church 
in New York (see Churches). Pa7-k Place, next stop, is the station for 
Newspaper sq., the Post Office, City Hall, Court House and Brooklyn Bridge. 
The line now turns one block west through Murray st. (the sharpest railway curve 
in the world) to the station at Cliafiibers st., where you alight for the Fall River 
and Providence steamboat lines, and Pavonia (Erie R. R.) ferry. The streets 
from Fulton to Chambers on this west side of Broadway, were cut through "the 
King's Farm " and named after prominent rectors and officers of Trinity parish, 
its owner, except Warren st., which commemorates Sir Peter Warren, commander 
of the British naval forces on this station after the Revolution, who married a 
daughter of the Delancey's here. The Cosmopolitan hotel, and the lofty whole- 
sale grocery warehouses of Thurber & Co., Legget & Co., and others, are concen- 
trated in this neighborhood. The- course is next up West Broadway through the 
wholesale grocery and dry goods district. Franklin, Grand and Bleecker are the 
street-stations, the last in the French quarter and close to Washington Square. 
Turning west through Amity St., the line is carried over to the foot of 
Sixth av., and its next station, at Eighth st., is under the shadow of Jefferson 
Market and the clock-tower of the attached police court and prison. (See Courts, 
etc.) Fourteenth st. is the next station, with Macy's famous bazaar, Union sq. 
and the Fourteenth Street Theatre just at hand. Ladies crowd the platform here, 
and also at Eighteenth St., which is near the busiest shopping districts of Sixth av. 
and Broadway. At the Tzventythird st. station are Ehrich's store on Sixth av., 
the Grand Opera House (2 blocks west) and the long line of West 23d st. shops 
and publishing houses. Proctor's and Koster & Bial's theatres and the Eden 
Musee; the Masonic Temple (the great grey building shadowing the station) and 
the hotels and theatres around Madison sq., are one block east. Twenty-eighth st. 
is the station for the Fifth Avenue, Palmer's, and Daly's theatres, Delmonico's and 
the many hotels just above Madison sq. The Thirty-third st. station stands at the 
diagonal crossing of Broadway, and permits a view down that street (to the right) 
as far as Grace Church (loth st.) and up to the yellow cube of the Metropolitan 
Opera House at 39th st. This is the station for 34th st. ; for the Standard, 
New Park and Bijou theatres ; for " Murray Hill " and " upper " Broadway ; and 
for the very shady district west of Sixth av. between 26th and 34th sts. Sixth av. 
above 34th st. is a long series of comparatively small stores and factories, over 
many of which are "flats." Bryant Park, named after the poet, containing a 
colossal bronze bust of Washington Irving, and always full of little children, 
breaks the monotony at 40th St.; behind it stands the grim wall of the distributing 
reservoir on Fifth av. At the station at Forty-second st. passengers alight for the 
Grand Central Depot, two blocks {%m\\Q) eastward, and for the horsecars to the 



54 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 



West Shore RR., \)i miles west. The Casino, the Metropolitan Opera House, 
the Broadway Theatre and the cluster of hotels around the crossing of Broadway 
and W. 42d st. ; the principal clubs ; the Fifth Avenue Baptist, Temple Emanu-el, 
Heavenly Rest, Holy Trinity, and Divine Paternity churches on Fifth av., are 
within easy walking distance. The Elfticth st. station is the one for the Windsor 
and Buckingham hotels, Columbia University, St. Luke's Hospital, St. Thomas's 
and Dr. Vermilye's Ref. Dutch churches, the R. C. Cathedral, and the Vanderbilt 
houses — all on or near Fifth av. Here passengers for Central Park change cars, 
unless they are on a Central Park train, which will carry them straight ahead to 
Fifty-eigJith st. and a Park entrance. 

The Harlem trains turu westward and pass through 53d st. (with a station at 
Eighth Avc'iuie), to Ninth av., where the line again turns northward up Ninth 

av. The station at 'Fifty- 
ninth st. is close by the Roose- 
velt Hospital. Soon after 
leaving it Broadway, now 
trending northwestward 
toward its continuation in the 
Boulevard, is again crossed, 
and the armory of the 12th Reg't. 
'° '' IS passed on the left at 62d St., while 
on the light glimpses are got of the Cen- 
lal Park, and of the tall apartment 
houses o\erlooking it, nearest and oldest 
of which IS the enormous gable-roofed 
Dakota flats on Eighth av. The Sev- 
e}ity-si'co!!d St. station is the place to 
alight for a half-mile walk west to the lower end of Riverside Park; it is 
opposite an entrance to Central Park, and in a quarter becoming a district of 
very handsome residences, where General Sherman and many distinguished citi 
zens now dwell. Just before reaching the Eighty-first st. station the American 
Museum of Natural History and another Park entrance (see Parks) are passed. 
The castle-like structure far off at the right is the " Belvidere," on an eminence in 
Central Park; and at the left spaces of the Hudson appear, dotted with shipping. 
The stations at 93^/ st. and 104/// st. are surrounded by costly and often elegant 
houses, all built within a very few years, save here and there a conspicuous 
relic of the rural past; and by lofty apartment houses which it will interest a vis- 
itor to see. The track is here at a considerable height above the pavement, but 
at iioth St. it turns eastward to Eighth av. and then turns up that avenue upon an 
iron trestle-work which DeLesseps is said to have been amazed at as an example 




SIXTH AV. EL. RY. AT IIOTK ST. 



GETTING ABOUT THE CITY. 55 

of audacious engineering. Tiie ground is low here, and the track is carried across 
it on a level with the fifth-story windows of the houses. This makes necessary an 
elevator to reach the station platform at wdth st. A wide area of the city (Har- 
lem) is now under view toward the east and north, arid the upper end of Central 
Park appears as a green grove a short distance away on the right. On the left are 
the ornamental stairways of Morningside Park, and farther and higher the 
pillared front of the Leake and Watts Orphan Asylum, on whose site the 
Anglican Cathedral is soon to be erected, while in the distance are seen the groves 
and roofs of the great Bloomingdale Asylum, and the mansions on the heights 
overlooking the Hudson. 

A few blocks beyond, St. Nicholas av., the ancient country road to King's 
Bridge and Albany, is crossed diagonally, the density of the population increases, 
and the next stop is in a lofty station 2X Harlem {IV. 125^/; jA), where the busy 
appearance of a down-town avenue meets the eye. Change here for the cable 
road to Riverside Park, Ft. Lee ferry and High Bridge. Rocky ridges, market 
gardens, and remnants of shanty-town diversify the dead level and uniformity of 
graded streets beyond, es]:iecially at the left, where the ground rises into a long 
ridge called Washington Heights, which is an exceedingly handsome part of the city. 
Near 135//^ st. station is the great R. C. Convent of the Sacred Heart. The 
engine-houses and shops of the company are at the 145/// st. or Carmanstiille 
station; and half a mile beyond it the terminus is reached at 155/// st. Here is 
the Harlem river, and the carriage bridge at the right is on the site of the old 
Macomb's Dam, where the last generation of turfmen were wont to speed their 
horses. In this neighborhood are a number of large picnic grounds, dancing 
halls and beer-gardens, which in summer are liberally patronized. The stairways 
lead up to the level of Washington Heights, and to the Edgecombe Road, which 
leads to High Bridge reservoir and park; and the lofty arches of the aqueduct 
itself can be seen up the river. 

This station is the terminus of the Northern New York R. R. which goes 
northward into W^estchester county some 40 miles ; by it are reached (within the 
city limits) High Bridge, Berkeley Oval (athletic grounds) Morris Dock, Ford- 
hani Heights, Kingsbridgeville, and Van Cortlaiidt, — the last named the station 
for the great Van Cortlandt park and lake, where the best skating in this part 
of the state is obtainable, whenever there is ice anywhere. Trains runs every 
few minutes, especially on Sundays. 

The through time from South ferry to Central Park by the Sixth av. line, is 
28 minutes; to 155th st. one hour. 

The Third Avenue Line runs from South Ferry along Water st. to Jeanette 
Park, where fruit vessels and canal-boats are numerous, and where a broad 
expanse of the bu.sy East River and the front of Brooklyn are overlooked. It then 



56 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

turns ill among the shipping offices, drug and tobacco houses and factories of 
Pearl st., among which still stands at Broad and Pearl, the Fraunces Tavern, 
where Washington took leave of jiis officers in December, 1783; and makes its 
first stop at Hanoz'er Square, the station for Wall St., the Custom House (the 
back corner of which is seen up a narrow street at the left) and the commercial 
exchanges generally. Winding on through narrow Pearl St., Fulton st. is next 
reached, close to Fulton Ferry and Market ; the ingenuity with which a portion of 
the old United States Hotel has been converted into entrances and station 
rooms, securing a platform in the narrow street, is worth attention. At 
Franklin Square, the next station, you are right under the approach to the 
Brooklyn Bridge. This " square " at the end of the last century was the most 
fashionable quarter of the city, and on the ground now covered by the bridge 
approach and the square itself were the mansion and gardens of the wealthy and 
highly connected Walter Franklin family, opening down to the water. It was in 
a house on this square that Washington and his family dwelt and held official 
receptions subsequent to his inauguration as President in 1789. (See illustrated 
magazines for April and May, 1889.) Up to that time lower Pearl st., through 
which the train has just passed, held the homes of many aristocratic families, 
who, before the Revolution, had been accustomed to give \.\\t pas in fashion, such 
as the De Lanceys, Livingstons, Morrisses, Bayards, De Peysters, Congers," and 
so on. This is the station for the steamboats to New Haven, Hartford, Bridge- 
port and the eastern end of Long Island; for the Charleston steamers (Peck 
Slip) ; for the Police Gazette, and for the publishing house of Harper & Brothers, 
whose great, iron-fronted buildings are closely skirted by the train. Just west of 
Franklin sq. and south of the bridge is the leather-sellers' district, still known as 
" the swamp " ever since the days when it was a brush-hidden morass on Wm. 
Beeckman's farm, and was surrounded by the ill-smelling vats and yards of his 
tanneries, whence descended its present occupation. 

From Franklin sq. up the New Bowery the train passes through the rough 
region of the Fourth Ward. On the right are seen the remnant of an old Jewish 
Cemetery, where Joe Jefferson played as a boy (see his " Autobiography "), many 
queer old streets, full of Irish tenements, which a century and less ago were the 
abode of gentility, and picturesque views of the Brooklyn Bridge. Chatham 
Square is the busiest elevated station in New York. Here the branch from the 
City Hall comes in and the Second Avenue line begins. There are two platforms, 
and passengers should be careful to learn whether they do not need to change 
cars here to reach their destination. 'Phe station almost covers the upper part of 
the "square," which is formed by the intersection of several streets, and is 
described elsewhere. It is a crowded, noisy spot, surrounded by streets full of 
factories and tenement hou.ses filled with foreign laborers. The Five Points and 



GETTING ABOUT 7'HE CITY. 57 

Chinese quarter are only a block or two west, Chatham st. (now Park Row) leads 
south to the City Hall, and the Bowery begins here. It is northward, up the 
Bowery, that the Third Av. line proceeds. The pillared front of the Old Bowery 
Theatre (now the " Thalia ") is passed immediately upon the left near Canal st. sta- 
tion. Then comes an almost continuous row of theatres, dime museums, cheap lodg- 
ing houses and numberless small shops, while the din of the traffic is tremendous. 

At Grand st. station, the principal shopping street of the East Side is crossed; 
and the horse-cars to the Williamsburg (Brooklyn, E. D.) ferry. Houston st. is 
the next station, and the one for Police Headquarters, for horse-cars westward to 
North River ferries, and eastward into the heart of the great East Side tenement 
and small factories district, the home of the German, Jewish, Russian, and Bohe- 
mian population of wage-workers. Before reaching the next station {Ninth st.) 
the Cooper Union appears ahead as a tall brown building looking down the 
Bowery. Fourth av. diverges on the left side of it, and on this side the train 
enters Third av. by a slight curve. Ninth st. is the station for the Bible Plouse, 
Cooper Union and Astor and Mercantile libraries ; Lafayette Place, the book 
selling district of Broadway, Denning's and Daniell's stores, St. Mark's church, 
the Baptist Tabernacle and lower Second av. It stands on ground which was 
once a part of old Stuyvesant's farm. The \\th st. station is close by Union sq. 
the Academy of Music, the Star, Amberg and Tony Pastor's theatres, and Stuy- 
vesant sq. At 18/// st. is a station and another at 2i,d st., the latter convenient to 
the Y. M. C. A., .Academy of Design, Art League and Madison sq. Near the 2?,th 
St. station are St. Stephen's R. C, and the Rose Hill M. E. churches — the latter 
recalling the fact that this region was once the fine Rose Hill farm of Maj.-Gen. 
Gates. 34/// st. is the station for the Long Island R. R. and Manhattan Beach, and a 
branch road (no extra charge) leads down to the Hunters' Point ferry. At 42d st. 
the next station, another branch (no charge) leads to the Grand Central Depot. 
'l"he next stop is at 53^/ st. (ferry to Biackwell's Island). The ^cjfh st. station is 
unimportant, but at 67/// st. alight for the Lenox Hospital and Library, the Normal 
College and the Central Park menagerie. The 76/// st. station has near it many 
charitable institutions; and the next station, 84^/; st., is the one for the Metro- 
politan Museum of Art and the Obelisk (see Central Park). 

The whole remaining course up Third av. calls for little remark. The street is 
the old Boston road, made straight and populous. For the whole of its six 
miles it is solidly built up with a continuous line of retail shops, restaurants, etc., 
over which are lofty tenements inhabited by well-to-do and respectable people, 
largely of the German nationality. Along Third av., the Bowery, Park Row and 
Broadway a continuous line of business runs from Harlem River to the Battery, a 
distance, thus measured, of nearly ten miles ; yet this is only one of the great 
city's street-s. The stations at 89M st., 98/// sf., ]o()l/i st. and i\6t/i s(, are iu " Har- 



58 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

leiii," whose main east and west thoroughfare is reached at 125/// st., where a 
cable-car can be taken westward to the Sixth Av. El. Ry., and on to Wasiiington 
Heights. Tiie line continnes, however, to the baiik of the Harlem at 129/// st., 
where passengers going further north, change to the cars of the Suburban Kl. Ry. 
which carries them through North New York and Morrisania, as far as I72d st. 

The Second Avenue Line does not need much description. It begins at 
Chathaiii Square, and passes thence northward through Division, Allen, and First 
and Second avs. to the Harlem River, where it connects with the terminus of the 
Suburban road spoken of above. It goes at first through the heart of the densely 
populated Jewish, Russian and German quarters, and gives an interesting outside 
view of their existence in the tall and crowded tenements of the region between 
Chatham Square and East 14th st. Its stations are, successively, Chatham Stjuarc, 
Caual St., Grand St., {xv&zx Essex Market and Police Court), Rivingto/i j-/., (near 
Allen St. M. E. church) Houston st., St. Jllar/c's Place (near Tompkins sq.), 14/// st., 
igth St., 2y{ St. (where the road turns from First into Second av., and which is the 
station for Bellevue Hospital, and the ferry to Blackwell's, Ward's and Randall's 
islands), 34^// st.. Long Island R. R., and Manhattan Beach), \2d st., 50/// st., ^jth 
St., 65/// St., -jofh St., i^th St., 80/// St., 86/// st., ()2d st., (Astoria ferry) 105/// st., iiith 
St., i\6th St., \20th St., I2^th St., and the Harlem River terminus. Second av. as a 
street, is similar to Third av., except that it is much less devoted to business and 
in its upper part is less solidly built up, and has many large factories, gas-works, etc. 
along it near the river. When the city was a good deal younger than now, a fav- 
orite drive led along the course of this street, where "over a tell-tale little brook 
that listened and then ran away to blab to the East River, at our present 54th St., 
was the Kissing Bridge. " At this point the etiquette of Gotham's forefathers 
exacted of the gentleman driving the ' Italian Chaise,' or sleigh of highest fashion, 
'a salute to the lady who had put herself under his protection.'" From the cars 
of this line a good view of Hell Gate and the East River, generally is obtained, 
and of the islands with then- penitentiaries and charitable institutions. The time 
between Chatham sq. and Harlem is about 35 minutes. 

City Hall Branch. — It only remains to mention that an elevated Ry. station 
stands at the New York terminus of the Brooklyn Bridge, beside the City Hall, 
and near to the Post Office. Alternate trains on the Third av. go thither without 
change; from the Second av. line change at Chatham sq. Trains outward from 
the City Hall go up Third av. and change at Chatham sq. for the Second Av. line. 
There is direct communication between the platforms of the El. Ry. at this station 
and that of the Bridge cars. 

Horse- Car Routes. 

Tramways, or " street-cars," as they are universally known in this city, are a 
very old institution in New York, and seem to do ciuite as large a business as they 



GETTING ABOUT THE CITY. 



59 



did before the elevated roads were built, though their passengers ride, on the 
average, shorter distances than before. The fare everywhere is five cents. Only 
one line — that on 125th st. and up to Fort George — is run by the cable-system, but 
the Third Av. Company is about to change its road into a cable line ; and the 
Broadway Company proposes to do the same thing. All lines run cars all night, 
at intervals of not more than twenty minutes. 

North and South Lines. — Horse-cars run north and south on Broadway from 
the Battery (South Ferry) to Central Park; along both river-fronts (Belt Line) 
and from the Post Office up every numbered avenue, except Fifth, to Harlem. 

Cross-town lines exist, as follows (see Ferries) : 

Blecckcr St. Liiu- : Between Fulton and West 23d st. ferries, via the Post Office, 
Broadway, Bleecker st.. Ninth av., etc. 

Av. C. Line : Between Erie R. R. ferry, foot of Chambers St., N. R., and East 
23d St. (Greenpoint) ferry and neighborhood to East 42d st. via Prince st. (going 
east) and Houston st. (going west); a branch reaches loth st. ferry, E. R., to 
Greenpoint. Transfers with the Broadway line. 

Christopher and Tenth St. Line : Between Hoboken ferry, foot of Christopher 
St., N. R., and 10th st. ferry, E. R. (to Greenpoint), via 8th st., etc. 

Central Crosstmun R. R.: Between Christopher st. (Hoboken) ferry and East 
23d St. (Greenpoint) ferry, via 14th and East iSth sts. (going west, through East 
17th St.), etc. 

Desltrosses, Vestry and Grand St. Line: Between Desbrosses st. (Jersey City) 
ferry, N. R. and Grand st. (Williamsburg) ferry, E. R., via Grand St., etc. 

Union Sq. Line: Between Christopher st. (Hoboken) ferry and Union sq. via 
West 14th St., etc. ; also by branch to foot of West 14th st. 

Chambers St. Line : Between Chambers st. (Erie R. R.) ferrv, N. R., and James 
Slip (ferry to Hunter's Pt. L. L R. R.) ; also between Erie R. R. ferry and foot of 
Grand st, E. R., (Williamsburg ferry). Transfers with the Broadway line. 

Forty-s^eond and Grand St. Line: An extremely useful line, distinguished by its 
green cart, between West 42d st. (West Shore R. R. or Weehawken) ferry and 
Grand st. E. R. ( Williamsburg) ferry, via Grand, etc. East 14th St., Union sq., 
Fourth av. and East 23d St., Madison sq., Broadway, West 34th, Tenth av. and 
West 42CI St. (eastward, by a reversal of the same route). 

E.Vi'y-second St. and Bonlevard Line: Between East 34th st. (Hunter's Point) 
terry and Fort Lee Ferry, West 129th st., via 42d st. and the Boulevard; also 
betvveen foot of East 34th st. and foot of West 42d st. Another branch crosses 
the city on iiOth st. 

Grand and Cortlandt si. Line: Between Grand st. (Williamsburg) ferry, E. R. 
and Cortlandt st- (Jersey City) ferry, N. R., crossing Broadway at Canal st. 

Iwenty-third St. aild Erie Ferry Line: Crosses from river to river along 23d st. ; 
also, by a branch, between foot Oi West 23d st. (Erie R. R. Ferry) and East 34th 
St. (L. L R. R.) 

Harlem and Manhattanville {Cable) line: Between East I-iiver, at 125th st. and 
the North River at Fort Lee ferry (West 129th st. via 125th st.) ; branch (transfer 
tickets) from cor. Tenth av. and 129th st. to 187th St., Was'iington Heights. 

Some other short lines and branches exist, which hardly require mention for the 



6o GUIDE TU NEW YORK CITY. 

purposes of this guide. In a general way it may be said tiiat any part of the city 
can be reached by horse-cars without more than one change. 

Stages. — The great white " stages " or omnibuses, which used to be so char- 
acteristic a feature of Broadway disappeared with the advent of the Broadway 
street-cars. A line of modern, low-hung, and easy-riding stages now runs u]j 
Fifth av. from Bleecker st. to and along the eastern side of Central Park to 841)1 
St., affording a direct carriage to the Lenox Library and Metropolitan Museum of 
Art. In summer a number of these stages are run, which, like those in Paris, 
have seats upon the roof, and they are crowded, especially in the early evening 
with sight seers and pleasure-takers. (See Tour.) 

Suburban Transit. 

The Annexed District (north of Marlem River) is traversed by several lines of 
horse-cars, especially on the East Side ; has the Suburban El. Ry. from the Harlem 
River at the head of Second av. to iy2d st., with stations at Enst 133^/, ijSf/i, 14^/, 
lipt/i, i6ot/i, (Me/rose) i66th and 1721/ streets (fare 5 cents) ; and is penetrated 
by the New Haven, Harlem, Northern New York and Hudson River railroads. 
Trains on the main line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford R. K. make 
no stop below Williamsbridge, near the northern limit of the city, but its " Har- 
lem branch " passes along the Sound coast, through Port Morris, to Pelham, etc. 
The stations of the Northern New York line, from the terminus of the Sixth Av. 
El. Ry., at 155th st. and Eighth av. have already been given. The stations within 
the city limits, served by the Harlem K. R. are as follows, with distance fi- 
Grand Central Depot, and single fare : 

Eighty-sixth st 2^ miles 

One hundred and Tenth st 3^ miles 

Harlem) 125th st.) 4'4^ miles . 

Motthaven (138th St.). .. 5 miles 

Melrose 6 miles 

Morrisania 7 miles 

Central Morrisania 7 j^ miles 

Tremont. 7|4^ miles. . -ts. 

Fordham (Jerome Pk.) 8^' mil'- ^ cts. 

Bedford Park 9)^ ' ... 20 cts. 

Williamsbridge i^ 22 cts. 

Woodlawn 25 cts. 

The following stations are '■ (■;■ R. R., either from the 

station at 30th st. and Tentl .vi Central Depot ; those reached 

more directly from the Crai .mted in Italics: 

Manhattanville (W. 125th 12 cts. 

West I52d st, ., ,,,..., ., 14 cts, 



GETTING ABOUT THE CITY. 



6i 



Fort Washington i6 cts. 

Inwood 20 cts. 

High Bridge -]% miles 10 cts. 

Morris Dock 8>^ miles 15 cts. 

King's Bridge 10 miles 15 cts. 

Spuyten Duyvil ....11^ miles 22 cts. 

Riverdale 12^ miles 24 cts. 

Mt. St. Vincent 13^ miles 26 cts. 

ferries. 

The situation of the city upon an island with railroad termini and populous 
cities along the opposite shores of both rivers, and an immense exchange of popu- 
lation morning and evening between the city and the suburbs, gives the system of 
ferries a peculiar prominence here. Those to Brooklyn, though most numerous 
and rapid, would have proved inadequate to the needs of the service, ere this, had 
they not 

been re- ~^-' " '~-^-;^. 

lieved by 
the build- 
i n g of 
the E. R. 
bridge- 
Even now 
their 

boats run as often, and are 
as well filled, as is safe. At 
all the ferries, passengers are 
admitted to the house by purchasing a 
ticket and dropping it in the gateman's 

box ; when a boat has come in, the passengers are .,^_ 

discharged before the doors are opened to admit the «5- " i^6^-A.- 

outgoing crowd. The boats are all double-enders, and the FERRY boat. 

pilot goes from one wheelhouse to the other as he changes his trips back and 
forth. On one side is a women's cabin, and on the other a men's ; no man of 
decent behavior is refused admittance to the ladies' cabin, but smoking is not 
permitted on that side of the boat. The usual fare on the boats to Brooklyn is 
2 cents, but only one cent is charged between 5 and 7 a. m., and ^Yz and 7^ p. m., 
when the laboring population go back and forth. The upper East River ferries, 
and the North River boats charge 3 cents, with no hours of reduced rale. In all 
cases a package of tickets is sold at a reduced rate. Many of the ferries afford 
pleasant rides and an excellent opportunity to see the water-front ; while some 
are of considerable length, especially those to Staten Islandj.tp South Brooklyn, 




62 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

from James Slip E. R. to Hunter's Point, and from 23d St., N. R., to Jersey City. 
" South Ferry " is now a general term applied to the group of ferries (to Staten 
and other islands, and to South Brooklyn) near the Battery, where the elevated 
roads terminate. All the ferries are reached by horse-cars and most of them have 
cross-town lines connecting them with ferries on the opposite river. The two 
oldest ferries in the city are Fulton and Cortlandt ; but a large amount of inter- 
esting history and legendary lore, and a great picturesqueness clusters about all 
of them. Following is an alphabetical list of the city ferries, with landings and 
running times : 

Atlantic A v. or South ferry (see Brooklyn). 

Astoria. — From 92d st., E. R. to Astoria, every 15 min. during the day, and 
half-hourly from 7 to 12.15 midnight. 

Bedloe's Island. — From the barge-office pier, at the Battery, every hour, alter- 
nately from 6.10 a. m. to 7.30 p. m. To Liberty Statue. 

Blackwell's Island.— From 26th st., E. R., to Blackwell's Island, 10.30 a. m. 
1-30, 3-30 p. m. (no 3.30 p. m. on Saturday). — From 52d St., E. R., hourly, 6 a. m. 
to 12 m. ; then every 30 minutes to 7 p. m., by pass only. — From 76th St., 6.30 and 
7 a. m., then hourly till 10 p. m., and 12 midnight — pass only. No trips on Sunday. 
— Row boats at all times. 

Brooklyn. — From Catharine st. to Main st., every 10 min. to 9. p. m. ; then 
every 20 min. to 4 a. m.. El. Ry. station, Franklin sq. — From Fulton st. to Fulton 
St., every 10 min. from 4 a. m. to 5 p. m. ; then every 5 min. to 7 ; then every 10 
min. to 12 p. m. ; then every 15 min. to 4 a. m., El. Ry. station, Fulton st. — From 
Wall st. to Montague st. every 10 min., 6 a. m. to 9 p. m. No trips on Sunday. 
El. Ry. station, Hanover sq. — From Whitehall st. (terminus elevated railways) to 
Atlantic st., every 12 min. from 4 a. m. to 8 p. m. ; then every 15 min to 10 p. m. ; 
then every 30 min. to 4 a. m. — From W^hiteliall st. to Hamilton av., every 10 min. 
from 5 a. m. to 7.30 p. m. ; then every 15 min. to 10 p. m. ; then every 30 min. to 
5 a. m. — From Whitehall st. to foot of 39th st., South Brooklyn, every half-hour 
from 6.30 a. m. to 10.30 p. m. ; fare, 5 cts. (The last three are the " South " 
ferries.) 

Brooklyn, E. D. — From Roosevelt st. to Broadway every 10 min. from 5 a. m. 
to 7 p. m. ; then every 7 min. to 8 p. m ; then every 20 min. to 12 p. m. ; then 
every 30 min. to i a. m. ; then every 20 min. to 5 a. m. Sunday every 20 min. 
El. Ry. station, Chatham sq. — From Houston st. to Grand st., every 10 min. from 
5 a. m. to 9 p. m. ; then every 12 min. to 10 p. m. ; then every 20 min. to 12 p. m. 
then every 30 min. to 5 a. m. El. Ry. station, Houston st. and cross-town line of 
horse-cars. — From Grand st. to Broadway, every 7 min. from 6 a. m. to 11 a. m. ; 
then every 10 min. to 1.30 p. m. ; then every 7 min. to 7 p. m. ; then every 10 min. 
to 12 p. m. ; then every 30 min. to 6 a. m. — From Grand st. to Grand st., from 
5 a. m. to 10 p. m. every 12 min. ; then every 24 min. to 12 p. m.: then every 30 
min. to 5 a. m. El. Ry. stations Grand st, and horse-cars. — From 23d st. to 
Broadway at 6.15 a. m., and every 10 min. till 10 p. m. ; from 10 p. m. till i a. m. 
every half hour, even time ; then every 40 min. till 6.15 a. m. 

Brooklyn " Annex " Lines. — The various railroads terminating in Jersey 
City and in Weehawken have lately established lines of double-decked ferry boats 



* . GETTING ABOUT THE CITY. 63 

run in connection with their trains, at intervals of about half an hour, including 
Sundays, until midnight. They carry passengers to and from the Pennsylvania 
and Erie railway depots in Jersey City, and to and from the steamboats of the 
Albany Day, and Fall River lines ; land in Brooklyn at the foot of Fulton st., 
where nearly all the horse-cars and elevated roads of that city terminate. The 
fare is 10 cents, and an excellent impression of the harbor, the Battery and the 
water-front of the city is gained by this pleasant trip. 

Catherine Ferry (see Brooklyn). 

CoMMUNiPAW Ferry {?,tQ Jersey City). 

CoRTLANPT ST. [■a^^ Jersey City). 

Uesbrosses Ferry [ste. jersey City). 

Forty-second st. (see IVee/icnoken). 

Fort Lee. — From West 129th st. every half-hour from 6.30 a. m. to 6.30 p. m. ; 
then at 9.30. Cross-line horse-cars through 125th st. connect. From foot of Canal 
St., and landing at 22d st. : Daily, 10 a. m. ; 2 and 3.15 p. m. Sunday, 10 a m. ; 
2 and 6 p. m. From Fort Lee to New York: Daily, 7.30 and u.30 a. m., and 
3.30 p. m. Sunday, 8 a. m. ; 12 m. ; and 5 p. m. 

Fulton Ferry (see Brooklyn). 

Governor's Island. — From the Battery, hourly. 

Grand st. to Williamsburg (see Brooklyn, E. D.) 

Greenpoint. — From foot of East loth st, every 15 min. from 5 a. m. to 6 a. m. ; 
then every 12 min. to 10 a. m. ; then every 15 min. to 2 p. m. ; then every 12 min. 
to 7 p. m. ; then every 15 min. to g p. m. ; then every half hour to midnight. El. 
Ry. station. East 9th st. or horse-cars. Foot of East 22d st. every 12 or 15 min. 
from 5 a. m. to 9 p. m. : then every 20 min. to 12 p. m. ; then every 30 min. to 5 
a. m. El. Ry. station, East 23d st. 

Hamilton Ferry (see Brooklyti). 

?L\rt's Island — From 26th st. E. R., to Hart's Island, by steamboat, 11 a. m. 
daily ; none Sunday. 

Hoboken. — Foot Barclay st. every 10 min. from 6.30 a. m. to 7.40 p. m. ; then 
every 15 min. to 11.30 p. m. ; 30 min. to 4 a. m. ; then every 15 min. to 6.30 a. m. 
El. Ry. station, Park Place. Principal station in New York of the Del., Lack. & 
W'n Ry. — From foot of Christoiiher st. every 15 min. from 3.45 a. m. to 5 a. m. ; 
then every 10 min. to 6 p. m. : then everv 7 min. to 7 p. m. ; then every 10 min. to 
11.30 p. m. : then every 30 min. to 4 a. m. El. Ry. (Ninth av. line) Christopher 
St. or horse-cars from Union Square. This, and the Barclay St. ferry go directlv 
to the station of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western and the Morris & Essex 
Rys., and to the wharves of the Norddeutscher Lloyd & Hamburg American 
Packet steamship Companies in Hoboken, where the Hoboken Elevated Ry. ter- 
minates and horse-cars center. Take these ferries for " the Oranges," in New Jer- 
sey. From foot of 14th st. to 14th St., Hoboken, every 15 min. from 6 a. m. to 8 
p. m. ; then every 30 min. to 12; then each hour until 4 a. m., and every 30 min. 
to 6 a. m. Sundays at longer intervals. 

Hunter's Point (see Long Island City). 

Jersey City. — From Desbrosses st. to Pennsylvania Ry. station, foot of Mont- 
gomery St., Jersey City, at intervals of 10 or 15 minutes all day, and half-hourly 
after midnight. At this ferry are the principal station and baggage-rooms of the 
Pennsylvania Ry. in New York. The Desbrosses st. station of the Ninth Av. El. 



64 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. • ** 

Ry. is the only El. station near ; but horse-cars reach it from every direction. — 
From Cortlandt st. on same time and to same place as from Desbrosses st. This 
is the "Jersey City ferry," and probably the busiest one in the city. The 
El. Ry. stations are : Cortlandt st. on the Sixth av. line, and City Hall on the Third 
av. Horse-cars direct to Grand st., E. R. — From Liberty st. to Connnunipaw 
(station Central R. R., N. J.) 5.30 a. m. ; then every 15 min. to 9 p. m. ; then 
10.15, 10.35, 1 1, 1 1. 15, 11.30, 11.45, and '- P- '11- ) 12.20, I, 1.30, and every 30 min. 
to 4.30 a. ni. Communications same as for Cortlandt ferry. — From Chambers st. 
to Pavonia av.,and the terminus of the N. Y., L. E. & W. (Erie) R. R. at intervals 
of 10 or 15 minutes all day, and half-hourly after midnight and on Sundays. This 
is one New York station of the Erie Railway and connections, the other being 
next mentioned. — From foot of West 23d St., to Pavonia av. and Erie R. R., 5.55 
a. m ; then every 15 min. to 6.55 p. m. ; then every 30 min. to 11. 25 p. m.; then 
every hour to 5.55 a. m. Sundays, every 30 min. from 7 a. m. to 11.55 P- '"• > ^^'^'^ 
every hour from i to 7 a. m. 

Long Island City, and Railroad. — From James Slip E. R. (El. Ry. station, 
Hanover sq.) to Hunter's Point (Long Island Ry station) every 30 min. from 7 
a. m. to 6.30 p. m. None Sundays — From East 34th st. (terminus branch of 
Third and Second av, lines of the El. Ry.) to Long Island Ry. depot. At 5.00, 
5.10, 5.30, 5.45, and 6 a. m. ; then every 10 min. to 10 a. m. ; then from 10 to 15 
min. until midnight ; then every 30 min. to 4.30 a. m. Sundays same. This is 
the ferry for the Long Island R. R.'s route to Manhattan Beach. 

Manhattan Beach (see Lout;- Island City). 

Pavonia Ferry (?,e.ejt'?-scy City)- 

Randall's Island. — From 120th st. by steamboat from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

Roosevelt Ferry (see Brooklyn, E. £>.). 

South Brooklyn (see Ferry to 34th st., Brooklyn). 

Staten Island. — Formerly the ferries to Staten Island made several landings, 
but now only touch at St. George, the terminus of the Island's Rapid Transit rail- 
way system. The boats leave foot of Whitehall st. at intervals varymg from 20 to 
40 minutes till midnight. The fare (10 cents) includes the railway ride to destina- 
tion, except on the line to Tottenville. 

Wall St. Ferry (See Brooklyn). 

Ward's Island. — From 26th st., E. R., 10.30 a.m., and from foot of iioth st., 
E. R., every 20 min. to 6 p. m. 

Weehawken. — From foot of W. 42d St., at intervals of from 15 min. to an 
hour, and 15 mm. fiom 6 a. m. to 8.35 p.m.; Sundays, the same; and also from 
foot of Jay St. to connect with West Shore Railroad, from 12.30 a.m.; half hourly 
till midnight. The Forty-second st. (green line) of horse-cars, serves this ferry, as 
also does the Belt line. 

The Brooklyn and other Bridges. 

East River or Brooklyn Bridge. — This magnificent bridge spans the East 
River and connects New York and Brooklyn. Its terminus in New York is oppo- 
site City Hall Park, and directly reached by the City Hall branch of the Third 
Av. El. Ry., and by all the horse-cars that go to the Post Office. Park Place is the 
nearest station on the Sixth Av. El. Ry. The terminus in Brooklyn is at Fulton 
and Sands sts., where all the elevated railways of that city have their termini, and 



GETTIJVG ABOUT THE CITY. 65 

can be reached without descending to the ground, and where the cars of nearly 
every surface line are within a few steps. The bridge carries two drives, a broad 
footwalk, paved with asphalt, and a double-track cable railroad. The walk across 
is delightful, and seats are scattered along the broad " promenade," and in the 
balconies about the towers, where one may rest and enjoy the view. This includes 
a large part of both cities, the course of the river, until it bends out of sight 
behind Corlear's Hook, and the whole of the upper harbor, with the shores of 
Staten, Governor's and Bedloe's Islands, the latter bearing the Statue of Liberty. 
Admission to the foot-walk costs one cent, but twenty-five tickets are sold for five 
cents. The south drive is for vehicles going to Brooklyn; the north drive for 
those coming to New York. The toll for vehicles varies with their weight. 

Bridge Cars. — The railroad carries by far the larger number of persons who 
cross the bridge. It is a cable line, and the mechanism of the "grip" under each 
car may be studied from the promenade near the terminus, where the under side 
of the cars can be seen as they start. The power-house is in Brooklyn, and a new 
cable is always lying beside the track, ready to be adjusted without delay in case 
of breakage. The cars run in trains of three at intervals of a minnte or less dur- 
ing the busiest hours, and cross in si.x minutes. The fare is 3 cents, payable to 
ticket-sellers at each terminus, the passenger dropping his ticket into the gate- 
man's box at the entrance to the car platform ; packages of ten tickets are sold for 
25 cents. The car platforms at both ends are directly accessible from the stations 
of the elevated railways, and policemen are numerous and attentive. 

How the Bridge toas built. — It was foreseen, many years ago, that the ferriage 
facilities between New York and Brooklyn were fast becoming inadequate to the 
rapidly growing needs of these two great cities. Not only would it be difficult to 
keep pace, by increase of ferries, with the advancing requirements, but the choking 
crowd of commerce could not find room for many more big boats in East River, 
and delays occurred even in fine weather, while a heavy storm, or a fog, would 
almost stop transportation. The need of a bridge was imperative. Much public 
discussion resulted in the making of acceptable plans and estimates, and the 
authority from the state to issue bonds of the twin cities to provide the money. 
In 1870 work was begun. The first thing was to make foundations by sinking 
caissons of timber down to a solid resting-place, 78 ft. below the water level on the 
New York side, and 45 ft. in Brooklyn. As fast as they sank, by tlie digging away 
of the ground beneath them, masonry was laid course by course ; and w^hen hard- 
pan was reached, the hollow beneath the caisson was filled with concrete. The 
lower part of the towers (which are 140.x 50 ft. on the ground), is solid, then they 
are hollow up to the base of the great arches, 119 ft. high ; the arches rise 117 ft. 
higher, and the cap-stones are 271 ft. above the water. Meanwhile the massive 
masonry anchorages, 127 ft. high and 1 19 ft. wide, containing the arrangement of 
iron bars to which the ends of the cables are fastened, were prepared, 930 ft. 
behind each tower. It is the weight and holding power of these anchorages that 
sustain the bridge, the towers really doing little more service than to elevat^e it at a 
sutlicient height. The ne.xt step was to erect the four cables. To make them 



66 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

below and hoist them into place was deemed impracticable. They were made 
where they are. Two steel wire ropes, travelling over large ]:(ulleys, were stretched 
between the tops of the towers. By means of these, a few other small and fixed 
cables were stretched, movable platforms were hung, and a foot bridge was laid, 
upon which the workmen, and sometimes a favored visitor, could cross. The 
present writer was among those who made this nerve-testing trip. Then all was 
ready to begin the cables. 

Seven years had passed, and it was not until June 1 1, 1S77, that this work began. 
The cables are not twisted like ropes, but consist of 5434 separate galvanized steel 
wires (12 ft. to the pound), which were drawn over, two at a time, and laid side by 
side, as true to the [Moper curve of the intended cable as ]:)ossible. The " weav- 
ing " progressed steadily, and on Oct. 5, 1878, the last wire was drawn across. 
Then by a careful and ingenious method these wires were forced into a close and 
even round bundle, and closely wound with other wire, like the thread on a spool. 
Each finished cable is 3578^ ft. long, 15$ inches in diameter, and able to bear 
12,200 tons in the middle of the sag. The floor beams were ne.xt suspended by 
steel cables from collars clasping the cables at certain intervals, and when these 
had been thoroughly tied together and braced, the suspension part of the structure 
was complete and ready for the final arrangement of roadways, railings, tracks, etc. 

The approaches to the bridge are massive arches of masonry, with here and 
there steel truss-bridges spanning the streets. The total length is \\ miles; the 
length between the towers 1,595 ft. ; the width, 85 ft. ; the height above the water, 
in the center, 135 ft.; and the variation, due to extremes of temperature, amounts 
to 3 ft., vertical, at the center. ' 

Thirteen years of time, and about $16,000,000 were expended in the undertak- 
ing. The inventor and engineer in charge was John A. Roebling ; but he died 
during the progress of the work, which was completed by his wife and son, Col. 
Washington Roebling, and opened to the public Sept. 24, 1883. The average 
number of persons crossing the bridge is about 100,000 daily ; and the cars are so 
overtaxed, morning and evening, that increased facilities in this direction are 
pressingly needed, and will soon be arranged. 

Harlem Bridges. — All other large bridges in New York, besides the Brooklyn 
Bridge, are across the Harlem. There is a railway bridge at 2d av., and at 3d av- 
is an iron drawbridge for general traffic, known as Harlem Bridge. At Fourth av. is 
the great drawbridge which brings all the railways centering in the Grand Central 
Depot. At Madison av., a new bridge spans the river to Mott Haven. Next 
comes Central Bridge, formerly known as McComb's Dam Bridge. Just above it 
is the new railway bridge for trains of the Northern R. R. High Bridge is above 
these, and is a conspicuous and beautiful object. It was built to carry the Croton 
aqueduct across the Harlem river and the valley at 175th st. It is 1,460 ft. long, 
and is supported by 13 arches resting on solid granite piers, the crown of the 
highest arch being 116 ft. above the river surface. The water is carried over the 
bridge in large cast-iron pipes protected by brick masonry. A wide foot-path 
enables visitors to walk across it and view the fine prospect from its top. A small 
park has been made at its southern end, and picnic grounds, boating houses, 
hotels and beer gardens are numerous at both ends. It is consequently a great 



GETTING ABOUT THE CITY. 67 

resort for out-door parties in warm weather, especially on Sundays, and sometimes 
a pretty rough crowd is seen there. (For means of access see pages 55 and 61.) 

A short distance above it another remarkable structure, called ihe Harlem River 
or Washington Bridge, spans the stream. It is 2,400 ft. long, and 80 ft. wide, built 
of steel, iron and stone. The two central arches are each 510 ft. span, and 135 ft. 
above high-water mark, and are notable examples of a new device in engineering, 
wherein sections of steel were combined and keyed into arches in the same manner 
as stone arches are built. Its total cost was nearly $2,700,000, and it was opened 
to travel in 1889. The New York end is at loth av. and 181st st., and is reached 
by the cable road from 125th st. King's Bridge is at the point where the waters 
of the Harlem River and Spuyten Duyvil Creek meet. 

The Harlem is, in fact, not a river, rightly speaking, but a tidal channel entered 
through Bronx Kills. Its course can be seen on the map. It meets an indenta- 
tion from the Hudson called Spuyten Duyvil Creek, and thus cuts off Manhattan 
Island. Its entire length is about 7 miles, the eastern (or southern) half of which 
is navigable for vessels of less than 10 ft. draft, and plans are under way for 
making it a part of a ship canal between Long Island Sound and the Hudson 
-River, cutting across the peninsula below King's Bridge into the Spuyten Duyvil. 
At present the lower part of the river is of great convenience as a landing place 
for coal and other heavy freights ; and small pleasure steamers ply upon its 
waters, as far as High Bridge, while it is the scene of nearly all the pleasureable 
and professional boating in the city. For the odd name, " Spuyten Duvvil," 
Washington Irving gives this facetious explanation : One dark and stormy night, 
Antony Van Corlear, the trusty henchman of Pieter de Groot, swore that he would 
swim across the water in spite of the devil (Spyt den Duyvil), and was drowned 
in the attempt. 

Posi Office and Postal Facilities. 

The General Post Office is at the junction of Broadway and Park Row, next 
the City Hall, and is reached from up town by all the north and south surface 
railways, and by the Third Av. El. Ry. to City Hall station, or by the Sixth Av! 
line to Park Place. The "general delivery" [post restante) windows are near the 
front door ; the stamp-selling windows on the Broadway side. Letters can be 
asked for and stamps bought all night as well as during the day, except that on 
Sunday the office is open only from 9 to 1 1 a. m. The Money-order, Registered- 
letter and other special offices are up-stairs, and are open from 9 to 4. 

The site of this huge building (which is a conspicuous example of the structures 
erected for the government when Mr. Mullet was supervising architect) was for- 
merly the southern point of City Hall Park. "The structure is five stories high 
above the sidewalk — one story being in the Mansard roof — besides a basement 



6$ 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK C/TY. 



and a sub-basement. The arcliitecture is a mixture of Doric and Renaissance. 
Several domes patterned after those of the Paris Louvre rise high above the sky* 
line proper. The material used in the construction of the walls is a light-colored 
granite from Dix Island, Me. The girders, beams, etc., are all of iron. It was 







POST OFKICE. 



completed at a cost of between $6,000,000 and $7,000,000, and first occujiied on 
SejJt. I, 1875. The engines and other machinery used in heating the building and 
running the elevators connecting the different floors are placed in the sub-base- 
ment, while the basement is used for the reception and sorting of mails. The 
various " drops," letter boxes, delivery windows, and offices for the sale of stamps, 
are on the first or main floor. The Postmaster's and other offices are on the sec- 
ond floor, while the third and fourth floors are used by the Law Institute and by 
the United States Courts and their officers. The fifth floor is given over to the 
janitors and to the storage of various articles." 

The Post Office is not beloved by architects. " Modeling with the masses," 
these critics assert, " has been indeed attempted, but so imperfectly carried out 
that we do not get a single effective mass, a single powerful shadow, a single de- 
cisive line. Of composition, with the voids and solids there is no trace at all ; we 
see no wall-spaces that can be so called, and the windows are distributed with 
monotonous, mechanical regularity. We miss, accordingly, all such impression of 
solidity and dignity as the eye demands in so large a building; we miss all expres- 
sion of interior through exterior forms; we miss all proof of an artistic conception 



GETTING ABOUT THE CITY. 69 

in the builder's brain; and we miss, in spite of the fact that there is no plain sur- 
face where the eye can rest, all evidence that he understood the aim of decoration. 
It is a big, costly, conspicuous structure, but no one calls it a work of art." 

About 2500 men are employed at the New York Post Office, in the collection, 
sorting, and delivery of the 890,000,000 letters, newspapers, etc., handled at this 
office annually. The average receipts per year are about $6,000,000, and the 
expenditures about $2,000,000, so that the office yields a net profit of $4,000,000. 

Branch Post Offices. — General details in regard to post office management 
and the handling of mails have no place here, but a few facts may be useful to 
the stranger as to the branch post-offices, called Stations. These branches are 
scattered all over the city, and form the local centers for collection and distribu- 
tion of mail by the carriers. They are open until 8 p. m. on weekdays, and from 8 
to 10 a. m. on Sundays. Stamps, money-orders, postal notes and registered letters 
may be bought there, but no letters are given to callers at these stations, any letter 
addressed to a station being delivered to the address by the carrier, or, if this is 
not known, returned to the General Post Office to be advertised, etc. For any 
question as to the delivery of your mail by the carrier, go to the station in whose 
district you live: Following is a list of these branch post offices, it being under- 
stood that the General Post Office serves all the region south of a cross-line 
through East, Houston, Canal and Clarkson sts. : 

A, 21 E. Houston st. serving a territory thus bounded: Franklin st. from West 
St. to West Broadway, to Canal St., to Bowery, to E. 4th st., to W. 4th st., to 6th 
av., to Carmine st., to Clarkson St., to West st. 

B, 3S0 Grand st. : north of Catharine st. from East River, to 63 Bowery, to both 
sides of E. Houston St., to East River. 

C, 95 Bank st. : Clarkson st., from West St., to Carmine st., to west side of 6th 
av., to W. 4th St., to MacDougal St., to Waverley pi., to 5th av., to W. 20th st, to 
North River. 

D, corner 9th and Stuyvesant sts. : above E. Houston st. from East River, to 
Bowery, to E. 4th st., to Washington pi., to Washington sq., to 5th av., to E. 20th 
St., to East River. 

E, 322 7th av. : north of W. 20th st. from North River to 5th av. (west side), 
iacluding W. 44th st. 

7^,401 3d av. : north of E. 20th st. from East River, to east side 5th av., to and 
including E. 44th St., to East River. 

C, i66r Broadway: W. 44th 4t. from North River, to 5th av., to W. 59th St., to 
8th av., to W. looth st., to North River. 

//, 156 E. 54th St. : north of E. 44th st. from East River, to 5th av., to but not 
including E. 71st St., to East River. 

J, Sth av. cor. 123d st. : north of W. looth st. to W. i5Sth St., from 5th av. to 
Hudson river. 

A', 203 E. 86th St., near 3d av. : E. 71st st. from East River, to 5th av., to and 
including E. lOOth St., to East River. 

L, 117 E. 125th St.: above looth st. from East River, to and including 5th av. ; 
to 145th St., to Harlem River, to East River, to looth st. 



76 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

M, cor. 158111 St. and loth av. : Washington Heights northward to King's Bridge. 

P, Stone St., cor. Produce Exchange. 

K, Third av. and 150th st. Morrisania, Motthaven and that trans-llarlcm region 
generally. 

S, Riverdale av. near railroad crossing: serves the west side of the district 
north of Spuyten Uuyvil generally ; but Riverdale village has a sub-station to 
itself, and letters should be addressed " Riverdale." 

T, Tremont, central part of Annexed District; address K iters " Tremont." 

" High ISridge" is also a branch station, by name. 

In addition to this, some 20 sub-stations have lately been established — princi- 
pally in drug stores. These are primarily for the sale of stamps, the registering 
of letters, and the sale of money orders, but there are also collection boxes at each 
sub-station. The letters from this are taken up by the same collectors who take 
from the lamp-post boxes, but there is a special collection several times a day by 
wagon of second and third class matter. 

By means of all these aids to rapid circulation of mail, letters will be delivered 
in any part of the city within two or three hours of mailing at the utmost, and if 
addressed to a point within the same district where mailed, in a much shorter 
time. The use of a "special delivery" stamp, costing 10 cents additional, may 
hasten this time somewhat. 

The letter rate to any part of the city is 2 cents. 

Delivery by carrier, to specified house and number, or where the address is 
known to or can be obtained by the post office authorities, is made throughout all 
parts of the city, at intervals, in the more densely populated quarters, of only an 
hour or two; from morning until 8 or 9 p. m. The carriers also deliver registered 
letters and parcels ; or these can be obtained at the General Post Office, where 
the delivery hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p. m. ; and the receiving hours (also at the 
stations), are from 8 a. m. to 6.30 p. m. Collections are made from the lamp-post 
boxes, and the boxes in hotel and large buildings, at intervals of an hour or two 
(even oftener down town), all day and at midnight; on Sunday a collection is 
made in the afternoon, and again at midnight. A " Post Office Guide " is pub- 
lished, which gives full information as to foreign and other mails. 

Letters addressed to persons who cannot be found are advertised in some of the 
daily papers after being held one month. They are then delivered at the general 
Post Office to the persons to whom they are addressed on payment of a fee of i ct. 
Letters directed to no definite street, number, box, or hotel are placed on general 
delivery to await calls. Boxes may be rented at the general Post Office and at the 
various stations for $16 per annum. 

Telegraphs, Telephones and the Messenger Service. 

Telegraphs.— All the land telegraph and ocean cable companies have their 
head offices and many branch stations in New York. The IVesfeni Union Head- 



GETTING ABOUT THE CITY. 71 

qttartcrs is in the huge building at the corner of Broadway and Dey St., just below 
the Post Office. At Fifth av. and 23d St., and at 16 Broad St., are the principal 
branch offices, connected with the central office at Dey st. by pneumatic tubes ; 
others are at 599, 854, and 1227 Broadway ; 821 6th av., and 134 E. 125th St., which 
are open night and day. A large number of minor offices are scattered every- 
where, in hotels, ferry-stations, great stores and other convenient places. Mes- 
sages between local offices in the city or in Brooklyn cost 15 cts. for 10 words, and 
one cent for each additional word. 

The Postal Telegraph and Cable Company has its central office at 187 
Broadway, and many branch offices throughout the city. 

The American District and the Mutual District Telegraph Companies 
have offices scattered all over town, generally in conjunction with the Western 
Union offices, where uniformed messenger boys are on hand to deliver telegrams, 
answer calls, and perform every variety of service for which a boy is capable, from 
simply carrying a message or delivering a package, to cashing a check, escorting 
ladies to the theatre or to a railway station, or distributing advertisements. Both 
companies place small automatic call-instruments in clubs, hotels, offices and pri- 
vate houses, by which a messenger, or one of the company's firemen (armed with 
chemical apparatus), or a policeman with full authority may be summoned, by 
simply pulling a lever. The charge is regulated by a tariff, which is printed in a 
book supplied to subscribers and carried by the boys ; and it is well to learn in 
advance what will be the charge for the service you wish done. These boys are 
faithful in their work, and as prompt as could be expected, notwithstanding the 
popular jibes at them, but many of them will overcharge a customer if they can. 

Telephones are as numerous in New York as elsewhere, the companies here 
being the Metropolitan and American, with offices at 18 Cortlandt st. ; and the 
Southern Bell Telephone Company at 195 Broadway. The city is divided into 
many districts, each with a " central " office, as about 30,000 " calls " a day are 
recorded. At frequent intervals, in telegraph and messenger offices, hotels, drug 
stores, ferries, etc., public "pay" stations are indicated by a blue sign, where the 
use of a telephone can be had for a small fee, and some of these are " long-dis- 
tance " stations, whose wires reach ])laces as remote as Boston, Buffalo and 
Washington. 

Electrical Subways. — " For many years," to quote Mayor Hugh Grant's 
annual message, relating to affairs in 1889, "our thoroughfares have been ob- 
structed and disfigured by unsightly poles and dangerous electrical wires. Laws 
have been enacted providing for the burial of electrical conductors, but, until 
recently, no apparent effort has been made to enforce them. In the early part of 
the present year energetic and decisive measures were taken to abate this nuisance. 
From some of the leading thoroughfares these obstructions have been entirely 



72 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

removed, and it is the firm purpose of the local authorities to prosecute this reform 
to a speedy completion. By the close of next summer it is confidently believed 
that every pole will be removed from the streets, and that every electrical wire 
will be operated underground in properly constructed subways. 

" Since the first of January, 1889, the bureau of incumbrances has removed 2,495 
poles, and about 14,500,000 lineal feet of electrical wires." 

The subways alluded to by Mayor Grant are tunnels, with accommodations for 
a great number of wires, which underlie the principal streets; and the groups of 
men who will frequently be encountered working about a round trap-door in the 
middle of the street, are engaged with the buried wires in these tunnels. They 
carry small fences which are erected about the man-hole, as soon as its cover is 
removed, and generally one man remains above to work a portable fan, supplying 
fresh air to his co-laborers beneath. Subterranean connections are made with 
buildings in which telegraph, telephone or electric light wires are necessary, and 
with the electric arc lamps that light the streets at night. 



IV. 



THEATRES, THE OPERA AND OTHER 
AMUSEMENTS. 





|ROBABLY the first thing to which the average 
visitor to New York turns his attention, after 
'getting his " bearings," is amusement — though with the 
|,/ gentler sex shopping might hold first place : if, indeed, 
it would not come under the same head in their esti- 
mation. The amusements of this great gay city are mul- 
titudinous in number, as wide in their variety as are the di- 
versity and breadth of human tastes and ingenuity, incessant 
in action, and of all grades of expensiveness. They range 
liom the Italian opera and Shakesperian drama, to the beery 
concert hall and dime museum ; from scientific exhibitions 
to a Bowery auction ; from a Delmonico banquet to a lunch- 
eon in Chinatown ; from Long Branch and Manhattan Beach 
' T to a clambake at Sandy Hook ; from Plymouth pulpit to 
the Salvation Army ; from athletics at the Turn Verein or Columbia to a slug- 
ging-match on the East Side ; from a stroll up Fifth Avenue to a midnight ramble 
in the Five Points. They change with the alternating seasons; and parallel with 
the regular methods of enjoyment go innumerable and never-ceasing attractions 
of an occasional character. The men or women who cannot amuse themselves 
in New York, each according to his taste, are confirmed misanthropes, who can 
find no joy in life anywhere. 

The amusements fall into certain classes, briefly and candidly summarized below. 

Theatres and the Opera. 

Metropolitan Opera House. — This vast new playhouse is entitled to first place. 
It occupies the block on Broadway between 39th and 40th sts., and through 
to Seventh av. giving it a space 200 by 260 ft. square. The excellent archi- 



74 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 




















tecture of this building, which is conspicuously in view all the way up Broadway, 
from below Union Sq., has often been commented upon. In The Century for July, 
1884, will be found one extended criticism with several fine illustrations. 

The writer points out the many restrictions of space and limited expenditure 
and subordination of interior room to external effect under which the architect, 
Mr. Cady, labored. " It would, therefore, be manifestly unjust," she assures 
her readers, '' to ask for monumental grandeur. . . . We can only congratu- 
late ourselves that we have got as much as we have — an honest, unaffected, schol- 
arly, dignified pile, as well designed in mass as was possible under the circum- 
stances, expressive, at all events, of its structural fashioning, and happy in the 
composition of its voids and solids. . . . Would it not be well," Mrs. Van Rens- 
selear adds, " if in our other theatres the same sort of excellence prevailed ? Is 
it not a vast improvement on such a hideous nullity as our old Academy of Mu- 
sic ? And, on the other hand, should we not be happier if the Casino Theatre had 
been less fantastic, and if the Eden Museum on Twenty-third street, had relied 
on structural beauty and ajjpropriate, subordinated decoration for its effect, instead 
of upon a showy accumulation of superficial details, mechanical in spirit, and 
thrice too plentiful for the size of its fa9ade 1 " 

The design in a general way is after the Italian Renaissance, and the material 
is vellow brick. The entrances are numerous, and the main foyer, in the Broad- 
way front, is 34 by 82 feet in dimensions, and can be enlarged by opening wide doors 
into a parlor. The auditorium, (ca]iacity, 6000), contains three rows and a half of 
boxes, 122 in all, with each of which is connected a salon twice the size of the box 
itself, in which refreshments may be served, wraps left, and visits received be- 
tween the acts. These boxes are precisely alike and equally desirable all the 
way around the amphitheatre ; and most of them are owned by wealthy patrons, 



THEATRES AND OTHER AMUSEMENTS. 



75 



whose names are placed upon 
the doors. The stage is 96 ft. 
wide, 76 ft. deep, and 120 ft. 
high. It also goes some 30 ft. 
below the floor. 

The building was opened for 

performances in October, 1883, 

under the management of Henry 

Abbey. It is devoted chiefly to 

Italian and German singing, 

many of the Wagner operas having 

been produced there recently with great 

idor It is also the scene of important 

entions and great balls each season, of 

which the stupendous Centennial ball, in 

May, 1889, has been the most notorious. 

The admission prices are usually about twice 

those of the first-class theatres, though the highest 

gallery has cheap seats. 

The Academy of Music, in 14th st. near Fourth av., 
was the home of opera and the tragic muse until the 
Metropolitan Opera House was built, and there all the 
GRAND STAIRCASE METRO- g^eat singers, especially of Italian opera, were accus- 
POLITAN OPERA HOUSE. tomcd to be heard. It is a very spacious and hand- 
some structure, interiorly, and for two years past has been exclusively occupied by 
Denman Thompson's " Old Homestead." It was built in 1854, and rebuilt, after a 
fire, in 1866. 

The Grand Opera House, Eighth av. and 23d st., is another theatre of large 
size and varied fortunes. It has a massive and ornamental front of white marble, 
through which a grand entrance from each street leads to the spacious audito- 
rium. Badly situated, it failed as a theatre, but in 1869 the building was pur- 
chased by the late James Fisk, Jr., and Jay Gould, and the upper floors were 
devoted to the offices of the Erie Railway until after the death of P'isk. " It 
was the scene of the magnificently audacious career of that prince of railway 
wreckers, and the theatre was kept open at a loss during his occupancy, princi- 
pally as the home of ope7-a boiiffe." When Fisk was killed the property passed 
into the hands of managers who devoted it to " star " companies, and it has 
prospered. The prices here are frequently much lower than on Broadway. 

Niblo's Garden is a third very spacious and well-known theatre, and the suc- 
cessor of one of the foremost playhouses of the city half a century ago. It is in 
the Metropolitan Hotel, at 589 Broadway, corner of Printe st. The present 




76 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

interior dates from 1872, will seat 2000 people, and contains ample lobbies and a 
tiny relic of a former *' garden." This theatre has been devoted almost entirely 
to spectacular pieces, since the appearance there of the " Black Crook," twenty 
years ago : and its stage, which is peculiarly wide and high, has machinery 
adapted to these and to melodramatic performances. The prices are moderate. 

Tony Pastor's vaudeville theatre is next beyond the Academy, at 143 E. 14th 
St. ; and at the corner of Irving Place and E. 15th st., nearly opposite the side 
entrance to the Academy, is Amberg's Theatre, which has been tastefully 
remodeled out of the old Irving Hall, and is devoted to standard plays and opera 
by German performers and in the German language. 

In the same neighborhood is the new Union Square Theatre, on 14th st. 
near Broadway, which has been rebuilt and much enlarged and beautified since it 
was burned in 1888. Before that accident many strong plays were first produced 
there, under the former management of Mr. A. M. Palmer, such as " The Banker's 
Daughter," " A Celebrated Case," and others which had extraordinary runs. 

The Star, at Broadway and 13th st, is the second house built by the Wallacks, 
James and Lester, and became widely renowned as Wallack's Theatre. It is 
leased by Theodore Moss, and is the scene of " star " acting of a high order. 

The Fourteenth Street Theatre, just west of Sixth av., has paid the penalty 
of its bad situation by frequent change of ownership and many misfortunes. It 
was called the Lyceum for a time, under Fechter, and later became Haverly's. 
Now the playing is by star companies, and varies from something as near " legit- 
imate " as the " Still Alarm," to the "tank drama" and extravaganzas. The 
prices of admission are often lower than is usual on Broadway. 

No theatres are to be found between 14th and 23d sts., but between 23d 
and 42d they are plentiful. 

Proctor's Theatre, on 23d st., just west of Sixth av., was built some years 
ago by Salmi Morse for the exhibition of the Passion Play, but this project 
was never executed. It is advertised as " absolutely fire-proof," and as having 
an extra number of exits. Its interior is handsome and comfortable. The plays 
are given by star companies who portray American comedies of a high class. 
One peculiarity of this theatre is its half-price admission for children to matinees 
on Wednesday and Saturday. 

The site of Mr Edwin Booth's fine old theatre on the S. E. corner of 23d st. 
and Sixth av. is covered by stores. Opposite is Masonic Hall, where amateur 
theatricals, lectures, etc. are sometimes given. A few doors east of it the broad 
front and many lights of the Eden Musee will attract attention to its exhibition 
of wax works, accompanied by music and special novelties, mentioned hereafter. 

The Madison Square Theatre is in 24th st., just in the rear of the Fifth 
Avenue Hotel, where it replaces the one burned so spectacularly on New Year's 



THEATRES AND OTHER AMUSEMENTS. 



77 




INTERIOR THE 
LYCEUM. 



day, twenty years ago. It is noted for its cosy and prettily decorated interior 
and for the uniform excellence of the comedies and serious social dramas pre- 
sented by its stock company under the management of Mr. A. M. Palmer, which 
have included such long-running productions as " Hazel Kirke," and " Jim the 
Penman." In this theatre the orchestra is over the proscenium ; and a striking 
novelty is an elevator-stage, which is raised and lowered between the acts, giving 
the stage carpenter an opportunity to set one scene during the playing of- the pre- 
ceding act. 

Another pietty theatre is The Lyceum, on Fourth av. bet. 23d and 24th sts. 
' ' ' ■ ' - J j^ Here are to be seen comedies of the modern English domes- 
' ^ \^ tic school, like " Lord Chumley " and " The Charity Ball," 
^'sff^ and this house which is new and elegant, has attained great 
popularity. 

The Fifth Avenue, at Broadway and 28th st. is the first 
theatre above Madison sq., introducing us to a nest of 
jjlayhouses. This house was built for Mr. Augustin Daly 
by the Gilsey estate, prior to which Mr. Daly had achieved 
a marked success as manager of a theatre of the same name 
standing on the sight of the present Madison Square 
Theatre. Here is introduced the " drama of contempora- 
neous human interest," by such plays as " Divorce," " P;que," " Frou-Frou," etc., 
etc. Fanny Davenport, Clara Morris, Agnes Ethel, Kate Claxton and other well- 
known actresses made their first metropolitan successes at this theatre. It is 
now what is called a " star theatre " and has had a dozen managements since that 
of Mr. Daly, who now devotes himself to the next one to be named. 

Daly's Theatre, was designed by Mr. Daly to be a repre- 
sentative theatre of modern comedy of the higher class and 
for the special revival of .Shakesperian comedy. The com- 
pany headed by Ada RehRn, James Lewis, John Drew 
and Mrs. Gilbert has an exceptional reputation in Eng- 
land, as well as in this country for its talents and artistic 
training. On the other side of Broadway, is 

Palmer's Theatre, (N. E. cor. 30th st.), built by Lester 
Wallack after his moving from 13th St., and known as 
■"* " Wallack's " until transferred to Mr. A. M. Palmer in 1888. 

Wallack's company was retained for one season after his death and then dis 
banded, its last appearance being in the " School for Scandal," with a memorable 
cast, on May 5, 1888. This theatre is one of the most elegant and comfortable in 
the city, and an attention to detail and a richness of stage-setting are usual here 
which are not always visible \\\ other theatres, even of the highest order. 3t^r 




78 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 



actors, beginning with Coquelin's first appearance in America, and including Irving 
and Terry, Salvini and others of similar eminence, have been seen here lately, but 
Mr. Palmer will transfer to this house the stock company, recruited and rein- 
forced, which has made its reputation at the Madison Square. 

The Bijou Theatre is a pretty little house opposite Palmer's (bet. 30th and 
31st sts.), devoted to comic opera. The Gaiety is the new name for a small 
theatre, now given up to comic opera, which was 
long the home of the old San Francisco Minstrels. 
Facing Broadway, though standing on Sixth 
av. near 33d st., is the tall Standard 
Theatre, — a house of varied foi tunes le 
membered as the place where " Puiafoie 
was first heard in New York. Just abo\e, 
at the corner of 35th St., on the 
site of the Aquarium, abandoned 
long ago, is the New Park 
Theatre, where the roaring 
fun of Irish comedies attracts 
a crowd of laughter-loving 
people nightly. This is the 
successor to Harrigan and 
Hart's playhouse formerly in 
Broadway near 8th st., where 
the curious structure erected 
for "Old London Streets" 
now stands. 

The Casino is now con- 
spicuous on the east side 
of Broadway at 39th st. ris- 
ing in an ornamental pile 
of Moorish architecture, 
contrasting sharply with 

the staid character of the buildings about it, and at night blazing with lanterns 
and rows and pinnacles of lights. Interiorly the oriental style is carried out in 
all the details of box-arrangement, open lobbies and mural decoration, while 
gilding is laid on with a barbaric expansiveness which at night is not without a 
gaudy splendor of effect. Opera bouffe occupies the stage, Aimee and Theo 
singing Offenbach's gay melodies in time past, while Gilbert and Sullivan's 
familiar operas, supplemented by "Erminie" and the hke, have appeared more 
frequently of late years. A large cafe and summer garden is open on the roof 




THE CASINO. 




THEATRES AND OTHER AMUSEMENTS. 79 

of this theatre during, and for an hour after, the performance, to which all in the 
house have free admittance, and where a band plays at brief intervals. Two 
blocks above, at the S. W. corner of 41st St., is the new 

Broadway Theatre, — a large and elegant house devoted 
to " star " performances of the first class, especially in the 
Shakesperian plays and good light operas. 

The Third Avenue, at Third av. and 31st st., gives good 
plays by travelling companies, as also does the Mt. Morris 
Theatre in Harlem (2398 Third av.). The leading theatre 
in the upper part of the city, however, is Mr. Hammer- 
stein's new 

Harlem Opera House, on 125th st. just west of Seventh 
av. The building is lofty and handsome. On its upper floors are 
an extensive ball-room and hall with a gallery, rostrum, etc. ; and 
several lodge-rooms. The main entrance is at the level of the sidewalk and leads 
directly into a large foyer, separated only by curtains, if at all, from the parquette. 
The decorations of this theatre are in blue, gold and old-ivory white, and its 
admirers assert with good reason that it is the handsomest house in New York. 
The building cost $300,000,. is fire-proof, both stage and auditorium are at the 
level of the ground, and there are no less than 18 exits. The seating capacity is 
1600. The winter of 1889-90 was its first season, and the leading starring com- 
]3anies of the country were heard there. A second theatre, to be called The 
Columbus, as large and as gorgeously, furnished as this, is in course of con- 
struction on 125th St. near Fourth av., where travelling companies will apjjear. 

Performances, second-rate only in the cheapness of stage-fittings and admission 
price, are to be seen at the People's Theatre, in the Bowery, oi)]iosite Spring st, 
at the Windsor, Bowery near Grand St., and at The Thalia (German), as the 
ancient "Bowery Theatre" near Chatham Square is now called. (See Night 
Ramble.) 

The Madison Square Garden. — This new structure, opened in June, 1S90, is 
of a class by itself, since it affords accommodations for a variety of entertainments. 
It occupies the block diagonally opposite the northeast corner of Madison sq., 
bounded by Madison av., 27th St., Fourth av. and 26th st., — the site of the old 
garden where circuses, athletic matches and exhibitions were wont to be seen. 
The new building is a handsome structure of buff-brick and light terra cotta, is 
constructed wholly of masonry, iron and glass, is lighted by electricity and is abso- 
lutely fire-proof. At the southwest corner a tower rises to the height of 300 ft., 
ascended by elevators and staircases and provided with summit balconies com- 
manding a wide landscape. The building contains an amphitheatre, a theatre, 
a resfaiirant, a concert hall, a roof garden and several sfiialler rooms, with 



8o 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 




THE BROADWAY THEATRE. 



all possible conveniences for public and private entertainments. On special 
occasions all portions of this structure, except the Theatre, can be so arranged 
as to communicate. The Aviphitlieatre is 310 by 194 ft. and 80 ft. high, with 
an arena containing a track one-tenth of a mile in length. It has a permanent 
seating capacity for 6,000 people, inclusive of 150 private boxes, and for conven- 
tions and similar purposes, can be arranged to seat 12,000. Under the permanent 
seats, and extending around the entire Amphitheatre, is a continuous hall with 
upwards of 30,000 square feet available for exhibitions, fairs, stabling for horse 
shows, circuses, etc. 

The Restaitrant, on the ground floor in the Madison av. and 26lh st. corner of the 
building, is 80 x 90 feet in dimensions and is handsomely decorated. Its kitchen 
is on the roof. Over the restaurant is the Concert Hall, sazLimg 1500 people; it 
is also intended to be used as a bail or banqueting room, and for this purpose con- 
necting supper-rooms and every convenience have been provided. The Theatre 
occupies the corner at Madison av. and 27th st., and will seat 1200 persons. It is 
fire proof, its ej«it§ are ample, and its accommodations of the most advanced 



THEATRES AND OTHER AMUSEMENTS. 8i 

and elaborate kind, both before and behind the footlights. The decorations are 
in white and gold. On the Madison av. end is a Roof Garden to be used as a 
summer garden and restaurant ; or it may be covered with glass as a winter gar- 
den, if deemed advisable in the future. 

This establishment bids fair to become one of the most popular places of 
amusement in the city. 

General Remarks. Prices. — The prices usual at the New York theatres are 
$1.50 for the orchestra or best balcony seats, $1 admission without seat secured, 
and 50 cts. for the upper circles. At the Grand Opera House, Niblo's, and the 
" popular " houses in the Bowery, the prices vary, running down as low as 50 
cents admission, and 75 cents for reserved orchestra chairs. 

The Rialto. — One of the peculiarities of the city, most noticeable in the early 
autumn, when actors are seeking and arranging engagements, is the congregation 
of " the profession " on the sidewalks and in the restaurants along Broadway 
between 27th and 31st sts. This is due to an ancient custom fostered by the 
presence in that neighborhood of the Actors' Fund and several dramatic agencies; 
but this new " Rialto " is a very recent change from the old and famous " slave 
mart " on the south side of Union Square, 

Amateur Dramatics. — Tn both New York and Brooklyn many societies of 
amateur dramatic performers exist, some of which give regular performances, of a 
public, or semi-public nature, while others act only before invited friends. The 
addresses of such societies can easily be ascertained by any stranger interested 
in making their acquaintance. 

Costumes, etc. — Costumers are numerous in the Bowery and Third av., about 
Union Square and in Sixth av., where masquerade dresses, wigs, masks, etc., and 
usually evening suits may be hired. 

The wearing at the opera or theatre of " full dress " by the ladies and evening 
suits by gentlemen is not imperative in New York ; but it is becoming so common 
as no longer to excite remark. At the opera and especially in theatre boxes it is 
almost invariable. 



]/audevilie Eniertainments. 

A cla.ss of theatres known as Variety houses has many examples in this city, of 
various grades of excellence. The most noted of these is Tony Pastor's, in the 
Tammany Hall building, on E. 14th St., near Third av. The program is a mix- 
ture of serio-comic and comic vocalisni, trapeze performances, juggling, acrobatics, 
clog and ballet dancing, and broad farces. 

A dozen years ago public opinion was very tolerant on this point and cancan 
dancing and other reprehensible performances could be seen on the public " vari- 



82 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 




ety " stage. Now, however, the legal line is drawn far more strictly, and nothing 
worse occurs than the costumes of the ballet, and occasional 
words and gestures suggestive of indecency. Ladies often 
go to Tony Pastor's, but rarely, to any of the others, where 
the admission fee is only a few cents, the audience con- 
sists of men and boys who smoke, and in some places drink 
beer or spirits, during the performance and the whole affair 
is subsidiary to patronage of the bar. The other variety 
theatres are Koster & Dial's, 23d st. west of Sixth av. 
(distinguished of late by the fine dancing of Carmencita) ; 
the Comique in Harlem (125th st., near Third av.) ; Harry- 
Miner's, Bowery, near Broome st. and Eighth av. near 26th st. ; Harry Kennedy's, 
8th St. near Fourth av., and the London, in the Bowery, near Rivington st. 
Thence they grade down to the " dives " where no respectable man will set his 
foot, except, perhaps, to satisfy a moment's curiosity. 

Concert Saloons. — A class of amusement places, so called, which may be 
included here, is that of the concert saloons, spoken of more particularly in 
another chapter (see Night Ramislk). The most extensive and gorgeously fur- 
nished of them are east and south-east of Union sq. The remainder are along 
the Bowery and Chatham st. 

Musical Entertainments. 

Halls. — First among the music halls stands the Lenox Lyceum, which began 
to be used only in January of 1889. It stands at Madison av. and 59th St., and is 
easily accessible by both horsecars and elevated railway. 

The main entrance is on the avenue, and is a handsome, though rather squat 
fa9ade of colored marbles. The auditorium is a circular hall, 135 ft. across, 
covered by a dome, the zenith of which is 75 ft. high, in one side of which is a 
large stage, over which curves an extensive and remarkable sounding board, 
adding greatly to the acoustic perfection of the great room ; this can be removed 
whenever it would be in the way of amateur theatricals or other uses for the 
stage. The decorations are rich in color, Init harmonious and consistent with the 
Italian renaissance style of architecture to which the whole interior closely con- 
forms. The lobbies are extensive and commodious; there are cafes, restaurants 
and smoking rooms under the same roof; and besides its main purpose as a hall 
for concerts, and especially for a high class of instrumental music, the Lyceum 
will often be used for banquets, great balls and like occasions. 

It was opened by Theo. Thomas's orchestra in a series of concerts which set the 
key for all that is to take place in this finest temple of music. When standing 
room is taken, 3000 persons can gather in the auditorium ; yet the mechanical 
arrangements for heating or cooling the building, and for the replacing of the 
vitiated air with fresh, are sufficient to insure comfort to even so large a crowd. 



84 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Here, no doubt, will be heard hereafter, the serial concerts of the Symphony and 
Oratorio Societies, which are features of each winter in New York, after the holi- 
days; and also the fashionable rehearsals and concerts of the Philharmonic 
Society, — where evening dress is insisted upon by custom. 

Following the example of Steinway & Sons (whose famous hall in E. 14th st. has 
now been converted into ware rooms), the Chickering Company opened some 
years ago a great concert-hall over their salesroom at Fifth av. and i8th st. known 
as Chickering Hall. This is theatre-like in its interior, and has a very large 
stage. Concerts of the highest class are .given here, as well as lectures and 
other reputable meetings and entertainments. Hardman Hall, near by it, is a 
new institution of a similar character. 

Musical Societies. — The oldest musical society in the city is said to be the 
German Liederkranz, founded in 1847. The society has about 1,600 members, of 
whom 152 are "active" (gentlemen who sing), and the balance " passive " mem- 
bers. There is also a female chorus of about 80 voices. Its club-house is in E. 
58th St., between Park and Lexington a vs., where the concert hall is 125 x 100 ft., 
with a balcony, and will seat 1,200 persons, while the large dining hall in the base- 
ment will seat 800 persons. The Liederkranz gives at its own hall three concerts, 
with Thomas's orchestra, making it a point to perform at each a novelty with their 
full chorus, whereby these compositions are generally for the first time brought 
before an American audience. Once during the winter the society gives a public 
masked ball (see below), which is one of the most pretentious and merry of those 
festivities. A free school of music for both young men and women is maintained 
by the society. 

The Arion is another well-known singing and social club, much like the Lieder- 
kranz, though less serious in its musical manifestations. There are some 800 
members, 150 of whom are in the choir; and the club-house is a new and hand- 
some edifice at Park av. and 59th st. The annual Arion masquerade at the Met- 
ropolitan Opera House is a great event for nimble-footed dancers. 

Less generally known are the Beethoven Mannerchor, 210 5th St.; the Miinner- 
chor, 103 E. 53d St. ; the Mendelssohn Glee Club, 55th St., east of Fifth av. ; the New 
York Sangerbunde, Third av. and 15th st. ; the Oratorio Society, 30 E. 14th st. ; and 
the Philharmonic Society, 923 Fourth av. The concerts of the last-named form the 
musical climax of the winter, and every person of fashion who wants to be thought 
attentive to art, tries to be seen there in his most stylish estate. 

Lectures and Instructive Exhibitions. 

Lectures in New York are frequent, but occasional, and the advertisements in 
the daily papers, especially in T/ie Tribune and The Evening Post, should be 
scrutinized daily by any one interested. Chickering Hall and the hall of the 



THEATRES AND OTHER AMUSEMENTS. 85 

Y. M. C. A. building are the usual places for their delivery, but many are given 
in churches and in theatres, on Sunday, especially in the Grand Opera House. 
A long course of weekly lectures is sustained by the Y. M. C. A. each winter ; 
the Cooper Union supports a free course of lectures on popular science and kin- 
dred subjects; and the illustrated travel courses of Cromwell, Stoddard and 
others are to be heard. At Columbia College the lectures to the higher classes 
are often open to the public, too. But perhaps the most interesting thing in this 
line, to a visitor, is an evening in the great basement-hall of the Cooper Union. 
Here are held not only the largest political mass-meetings that assemble any- 
where in the city under cover (it was here that Lincoln made his renowned speech 
in i860) ; but it is the usual forum for addresses by the orators of the Anti-Poverty 
Society, the Labor and Trades Unions, and of all sorts of reforms and social and 
religious is7ns. It is an enormous room, and some of the crowds which assemble 
there exhibit, in a way that can be seen nowhere else at a glance, the cosmopolitan, 
polyglot character of the metropolis. A Sunday night meeting at the Cooper 
Union is one of the "sights " of New York. 

Exhibitions. — Certain instructive exhibitions are always visible. Among 
these is the Eden Musee, in 23d St., near .Sixth av., a collection of wax figures 
of historical and prominent living personages, arranged after the style of Madame 
Tussaud's, in London, and is open all the year around, and on Sundays; admis- 
sion 50 cents. In addition to the " figgers," the " chamber of horrors," and so on, 
music and light stage performances are usually given at stated hours. The cyclo- 
rama of the Battle of Gettysburg, on the corner of Fourth av. and 19th St., also 
falls into this class and is well worth seeing. It is open every day and evening, in- 
cluding Sundays ; admission, 50 cents, Sundays, 25 cents. The " anatomical " and 
"dime museums" of the side streets would like to see themselves classified under 
this head, no doubt; but when they are not cloaks for some swindling game they 
are humbugs, pandering to the morbid taste of the ignorant and credulous, and 
are unworthy any attention from persons of intelligence. 

Museums and Galleries. — The one great museum of the city is the American 
Museum of Natural History, described as a part of Central Park (see Parks). 
A fine Geological Museum, exceedingly well arranged by Dr. J. S. Newberry, is 
open to the public at Columbia College (which see), in the School of Mines Build- 
ing. A hideous series of instruments of brutality can be examined at the offices 
of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, P'ourth av. and 22dst.; and 
an introduction at Police Headquarters may enable you to see the " Rogue's 
Gallery," and the relics of criminals, preserved there. The Art Galleries open for 
inspection will be found described under Art. 

The Circus usually makes a prolonged halt in New York, in the earliest spring, 
previous to going upon the summer tours ; and some years ago Barnum became so 



86 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

nearly a permanent feature as to fasten the name Hippodrome upon the old Mad- 
ison Square Garden, where he exhibited. (See above.) In winter a large number 
of live animals belonging to circus companies are left in the Central Park Menag- 
erie to be cared for. and add greatly to the census of that otherwise rather meagre 
vivarium. 'I'he amphitheatrical shows occasionally held at Erastina, on Staten 
Island, and such prolonged out-door exhibitions as Buffalo Bill's " Wild West," 
are mainly supported by city people, though held in the suburbs, and the means 
of reaching them and hours of performance are well advertised. 

Balls and Dancing. 

The private festivities among all classes that fall under this head need no com- 
ment in a guide-book, further than to say that many large, yet strictly private, 
dancing parties are held in public assembly rooms, like Delmonico's or Sherry's 
parlors, since few private houses afford the space. For another class of balls, 
which recur with regularity and are in a certain sense public, the Metropolitan 
Opera House or the Lenox Lyceum are now generally chosen ; in this class come 
the great Charity and the Patriarchs' balls, the annual masquerades, and several 
other more or less fashionable dancing assemblies which strangers may attend 
if they choose. A regular feature of winter gaiety are the public balls given by 
several French and German organizations, of which the Arion, Le Societe de 
I'Harmonie, and Le Cercle Fran9aise de I'Amitie are most conspicuous. 

These are nominally masquerades, and are Parisian in style. The floor com- 
mittee and other members array themselves in gorgeous mediaeval costumes, the 
ball opens with a grand march of maskers and many of the dancers are in cos- 
tume — those with abbreviated skirts being the favorite among the gentler sex 
attending. Nothing more than a mere mask, in addition to evening dress, is 
required of dancers, however, and long before morning all masks are discarded. 
.Supper and wine rooms are attached to the hall, and their effect is presently 
apparent. .Soon after midnight the more dignified of the members take their fam- 
ilies home and then the fun becomes fast and furious. .Still good nature reigns 
and the presence of numerous policemen ]jreserves order, and prevents too high 
kicking in the quadrilles by the lively demoiselles. Tickets for these balls are on 
sale at the hotels and principal restaurants; and L'Harmonie ball is the largest 
one of the series. Below these in rank are a great number of lesser dances given 
by neighborhood clubs. 

Beer Gardens and Bar-rooms. 

In summer, dancing may be enjoyed at a large number of " pavilions" and beer 
gardens, some of wliich are in the city, but most in the outskirts, or at the seaside. 
Jones Wood, at the foot of E. 69th St., once a beautiful grove surrounding a man- 
sion, but now an immense pleasure house for beer-drinking picnics and dances, is 
one of these places; it may easily be reached from the 70th st. station of the Second 



THEATRES AND OTHER AMUSEMENTS. 87 

Av. El. Ry. Several others are grouped at the •155th st. terminus of the Sixth 
Av. El. Ry., and two prominent ones, Lion Park and Elm Park, are close by the 
93d and 104th St. stations of the same line. The banks of the Harlem, near High 
Bridge, abound with them ; and there are others on the north bank of the Harlem, 
near its mouth, reached from the Second Av. bridge, and at Oak Point two miles 
beyond. The eastern and southern (Ft. Hamilton) outskirts of Brooklyn, and the 
beaches at Far Rockaway and Old Coney Island (boats to the Iron Pier) sustain 
many; also Staten Island and the Jersey Shore, particularly in Hoboken, at 
Fort Lee, and at lona Island in the Hudson. These differ in respectability not 
only among themselves, but at different times, and most of them should be avoided 
in the evening by anyone who cares to dance in an irreproachable company. The 
dancing, in fact, is only an accessory to the games and beer drinking, without 
which these places would do a poor business. 

In the Bowery are many so-called "gardens," where beer-drinking and music 
goes on every evening. The oldest, largest and best of these is the Atlantic 
Garden, just below Canal st. This is frequented mainly by Germans, and 
charges no admission fee, except one of ten cents to the gallery. Fair music is 
given by an orchestra of young women, and good order is always maintained. Of 
the same class, but frequented by people better dressed, at least, is the roof garden 
of the Casino (theatre), at Broadway and 39th St., already mentioned. Beer 
drinking and beer making has vastly increased in New York, daring the last twenty 
years, to the diminution of the drinking of stronger spirits. Lager beer saloons arc 
ubiquitous and almost countless, and many of them are elegantly fitted up. Koster 
& Bial's, 6th av. and 24th st. (down-stairs) is a curious imitation of an old German 
bier stuhe, well worth seeing. A very quiet and pleasant room, where ladies and 
children go with their husbands or escorts, is on E. i8th st. near the corner of 
Third av., and a long catalogue of others might be given. 

The breweries are mainly on the East River bank, uptown ; but some extensive 
ones are established in Brooklyn and on Staten Island. It is re]3orted that over 
6,000,000 barrels of malt-liquors are consumed annually in New York and its im- 
mediate neighborhood. The uniform price is 5 cents a glass; sometimes a 
double-glass or " schooner," is given for five cents, in which case the quality is 
very poor. The " bock," widely advertised in the spring, is an extra brew, more 
intoxicating than ordinary lager. 

Many bar-rooms in New York are widely famous among men about town. 
That of the Hoffman House has an even wider reputation. Stewart's, at 8 Warren 
St., has some paintings of great merit, which are open to the inspection of ladies 
from 9 to II o'clock in the morning. The "Fog Horn " at 23d st. and Ninth av. is 
extraordinary in its own way ; and many others, celebrated for one thing or an- 
other, can be pointed out by any hotel clerk. (See Night Ramble.) 



V. 



RACING AND ATHLETIC SPORTS. 




ENERAL interest in out-door sports has increased an 
many associations devoted to them have been organ- 
ized. The most important of these are those of 

Turf and Turfmen. 

Horse-racing in the state of New York is regu- 
~ lated by law, inasmuch as the law regulates bet- 
ting, and without betting there is no racing. The 
legitimate season opens on May 15, and closes on Oct. 15, between which dates the 
sport goes on without intermission. After October 15 New Jersey monopolizes 
everything. The metropolitan circuit comprises nine race tracks, all within an 
hour's ride of the city. Six of these, four in New York and two in New Jersey, are 
open in the regular season. The others — all in New Jersey — are known as winter 
tracks, and racing of an inferior quality is seen there in and out of season, rain or 
shine, hail storm or blizzard. 

Brooklyn Jockey Club. — The first, in the spring, of the popular courses to be 
thrown open to the public is the Gravesend track of the Brooklyn Jockey Club, 
where the spring meeting begins on May 15, and the fall meeting on September 16, 
each lasting two weeks. The track is a plain oval, one mile in circumference, and 
it has the reputation of being the fastest track of that shape in the United States- 
On it the mile-and-a-quarter record has been lowered twice. Racing is conducted 
here on the strictest business principles. Little attention is paid to the social ele- 
ment. The club house, for members and guests, is an unpretentious place, where 
an excellent luncheon is served free. Drinks are expected to be paid for. The 
president of the club is Philip J. Dwyer, head of the great racing firm of Dwyer 
Brothers, who are the largest stockholders. H. D. Mclntyre, the secretary and 
handicapper, is noted for his close finishes. 

The track is situated about half way between Brooklyn and Coney Island, on 



RACING AND ATHLETIC SPORTS. 89 

the line of the Prospect Park and Coney Island Railroad. It is just n\ miles from 
the New York City Hall, in an air line, but cannot be reached from that point in 
less than 50 minutes. There are numerous ways of reaching i 

Route No. I is the pleasantest. It is called the "Culver Route." Boats leave 
the foot of Whitehall st. (near the Battery), every 30 minutes, and sailing through 
the Bay in the direction of the Narrows, connect with trains on the Manhattan 
Beach Division of the Long Island Railroad at Bay Ridge. All trains land pa,s- 
sengers in the rear of the grand stand. Ask for " Culver " tickets. 

Route No. 2 — Cross East River at 34th st., and take special race trains on the 
Long Island road. These trains have parlor cars attached, chairs in which cost 25 
cents extra each way. 

Route No. 3 — Cross the big bridge and take horse car or elevated road for the 
Flatbush Av. station of the Long Island road, whence special race trains run dfrect 
to the course at short intervals. 

Route No. 4 — Cross the Brooklyn Bridge and take the Vanderbilt Av. car, or 
the Fifth Av. branch of the elevated road for 20th st. The car stops at the sta- 
tion of the Prospect Park and Coney Island road, but the nearest point on the 
elevated road is four blocks away, requiring a short walk or drive. Trains on the 
P. P. & C. I. R. R. run to the course every 15 minutes. A view of Greenwood 
Cemetery is obtained on this route. 

Route No. 5 — " Sea Beach Route." Practically the same as Route No. i. Fol- 
low the same directions, but ask for " Sea Beach " tickets. 

Round trip tickets to the track range between 35 and 50 cents. Admission to 
the grand stand, $1.50 ; paddock badges, 50 cents extra. 

The principal races of national interest at Gravesend are the Brooklyn Jockey 
Club Handicap and the Great American Stakes, in the spring, and the Oriental 
Handicap and First and Second Specials in the fall. 

New York Jockey Club. — The track of this club is at Westchester, N. Y. 
Racing begins here, spring and fall, at the close of the Gravesend meetings — May 
30, and October i, respectively. This is the most expensive and best appointed 
race-course in the world, John A. Morris, of the Louisiana Lottery, having built 
it on an elaborate scale at a cost of some $2,000,000. It is a track of magnificent 
distances, and is superbly equipped. The splendid grandstand seats 10,000 peo- 
ple. The club has absorbed the fashionable membership of the American Jockey 
Club, which went out of existence in 1889, and now has over 2,000 names on its 
register. It is Mr. Morris's intention to increase this number to 5,000. The 
club-house is a marvel of convenience and elegance, and is rapidly becoming a 
center of social functions. Mr. Morris leases the track to the New York Jockey 
Club at a nominal figure. The president of the club is H. De Courcy Forbes, 
and T. H. Hock is secretary. The handicapping is done by Mr. Vosburg. The 
track is if miles around and has a straight stretch f mile long, called the " Eclipse 
Course," over which the Great Eclipse Stakes, and, in fact all short races are 
run. The grade of this straightaway is unqsually steep and on it the half, five- 



90 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 



eighths and three-quarter-mile records, which stood untouched for years on other 
courses, have been far outdone. 




The course is twelve miles from the City Hall, on the Harlem River Branch of 
the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, and is easily reached in three 
ways : 

Route No. I — Take either the Second Av. or Third Av. elevated road and go to 
129th St., then walk over the bridge to the Harlem River station, whence special 
race trains are dispatched at intervals of ten minutes. The time from the City 
Hall is about 50 minutes. 

Route No. 2 — By special trains from the Grand Central Station in 42d st. 
(The Harlem road is building a branch to the course which will be ready for 
trains by May 30). 

Route No. 3 — By private conveyance or public hack over the Southern Boule- 
vard, from 133d St. and Third av., a drive of five miles. 

Fare for the round trip is 50 cents, by rail. A seat in a hack costs $1. 
Carriages may be hired for $ij to %\q for the afternoon. Admission to the grand 
stand .$1.50. Paddock badges, 50 cents extra. 

Coney Island Jockey Club — [Track at Sheepshead Bay, L. I.) The spring 
meeting of the Coney Island Jockey Club begins on June 17 and the fall meeting 
on August 30. Compared with the immense buildings and long reaches of West- 
chester, the Sheepshead track is a pocket edition of a race-course, — William K. 
Yftnclerbilt's pogk^t edition. It has Jiitherto been the most popiil^r course iii the 



RA CING A ND A THL E TIC SPOR TS. 91 

metropolitan circuit. Here the young American classic, The Suburban, is run in 
June, bringing together all the stars of the turf. This race, the weights for which 
are announced on February i of each year, excites wider interest among the turf- 
men than any other race run in this country. It is the only race, with the excep- 
tion of the Brooklyn Jockey Club Handicap, on which there is any considerable 
amount of ante-post betting. Books are opened on the Suburban as soon as the 
weights are out, and few men who bet deny themselves the satisfaction of taking 
a flyer at a long price — ^froni 50 to i to 500 to i. Other important and immensely 
popular races at Sheepshead are the Realization, valued at $40,000, run at the June 
meeting, and the Futurity, worth $60,000, run in the fall. These are two of the 
richest stakes in the world. Then there is the Volunteer Handicap, which gener- 
ally decides the three-year-old championship. The days on which these races are 
run are duly announced in the daily newspapers. 

Leonard W. Jerome, one of the pioneers and pillars of racing in America, is 
president of the Coney Island Jockey Club, and J. G. K. Lawrence is secretary, 
handicapper and general manager. The membership of the club is large, including 
a majority of the influential men of the city. The grounds, kept like a garden, 
are always beautiful and refreshing. The club-house is small, but the cuisine is 
unexcelled. There is a charge for wines, etc., but none for meals. 

The track, a mile and an eighth in circumference, and with a straight stretch of 
six furlongs, called the " P'uturity Course," is within a ten minutes walk of Coney 
Island, and only two miles from the track of the Brooklyn Jockey Club at Graves- 
end. It is on the line of the Long Island Railroad — Manhattan Beach Division— 
and is eight miles from the New York City Hall. The Brooklyn and Brighton 
Beach road runs within a quarter of a mile of the gates. Time from New York, 
about 50 minutes. To get to the course, follow the directions given for reaching 
the Brooklyn Jockey Club's grounds in routes No. i. No. 2 and No. 3, or go 
by- 
Route No. 4 — Cross the big bridge, take the Kings County FHevated Rail- 
road, get off at Franklin av. and walk two blocks to " Bedford Station," whence 
special race trains are dispatched every fifteen minutes. This is the quickest 
route, but No. i is the pleasantest. 

Route No. 5 — A drive from Brooklyn down Ocean av. to the gates of the 
course. 

The railroad fare is the same as to Gravesend— 35 to 50 cents the round trip. 
Admission to the grand stand, $1.50 ; paddock, 50 cents extra. 

Monmouth Park Association. — This track is at Monmouth Park, N. J. 
Monmouth Park is the Newmarket of America. The old course was abandoned 
in 1889 and a new one, elaborately equipped and much more extensive than any 
other in the United States — excepting possibly Westchester — has just been com- 
pleted to take its place. Every improvement known to racing is to be found 
here. The track is the only one in this country on which horpes run the reverse 



92 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

way, that is, from left to right instead of from right to left, as on all other courses. 
There are in reality four tracks on these magnificent grounds, the main track 
being if miles around, while within it there is a cut-off, giving a mile-and-a-quarter 
oval ; a straight track of six furlongs, running diagonally across the field, and a 
mile-and-three-eighths stretch with a slight curve near the centre. Monmouth 
Park is forty-two miles from New York and about a mile from the main line of 
the New York and Long Branch Railroad. Special trains make the trij) in an 
hour. The racing usually begins on the Fourth of July and continues three days 
a week till August 28. The meeting always attracts the best racing material, and 
many notable contests occur. The great prizes are the Lorillard Stakes and the 
Omnibus Stakes, for three-year-olds, the Junior Champion Stakes, for two-year- 
olds, and the Champion Stakes, for three-year-olds and upward. Besides these 
there are stakes for horses of all ages which invariably produce exciting sport. 

The president of the association is A. J. Cassatt. H. G. Crickmore (" Krik ") 
is the secretary. The handicapping is done by Mr. Vosburg. The general man- 
agement of the course is in the hands of D. D. Withers, who is assisted by T. 
M. Croft. These men conduct the sport with a business exactitude that has made 
Monmouth Park the favorite track with horse owners. 

The new grand stand is a commodious and handsome structure. The club has 
only a few members besides the stockholders, but they are men of prommence in 
business and the professions. The club house is an invitmg place, where excel- 
lent dinners and luncheons are served. Monmouth is easily reached in three 
ways. 

Route No. I — By way of the Pennsylvania R. R., special race trains leaving 
Jersey City at convenient hours. 

Route No. 2— By way of the Central R. R. of New Jersey, special trains going 
direct to the course at short intervals. 

Route No. 3 — By way of Sandy Hook. Steamers leave the foot of Rector st. 
every hour, connecting at the Hook with trains on the New Jersey Southern R. R., 
which run to the course. This is one of the most delightful excur.sions that can 
be made out of New York. 

Tickets for one route are good on the others both going and returning. Fare 
f-or the round trip, including admission to the field, $1.50; grand stand, ^i extra; 
paddock badge $1.50. 

New Jersey Jockey Club.— Track at Elizabeth, N. J., reached by special 
trains on the Central R. R. of N. J. 

Linden Park Blood Horse Ass'n. — Track at Linden Park, N. J., reached by 
special trains on the Pennsylvania R. R. 

Brighton Beach Racing Ass'n. — Brighton Beach, Coney Island. Regular 
trains pn the Brooklyn and Brighton Beach R. R. 



RACING AND ATHLETIC SPORTS. 93 

Passaic County Agricultural Society. — Track at Clifton, N. J. Special 
trains on the Erie R. R. 

Hudson County Jockey Club. — Track at Guttenberg, N. J. Reached by 
street cars (35 minutes) from Hoboken ; and by a "dummy" train from the 
West Shore R. R. depot, Weehawken. 

Turfmen's Resorts. — Not since the closing of the American Jockey Club's 
" subscription rooms," seven or eight years ago, has there been a social club nor 
any place where racing men resort. Theso-cailed club-rooms of the several metro- 
politan racing associations are simply secretaries' offices, where the boards of 
governors and executive committees meet to transact business The places where 
turfmen congregate at night to " talk horse " are the lobbies of the St. James, 
Hoffman, Coleman, Gilsey and Sturtevant hotels, all in Broadway between 25th 
and 30th sts. At the St. James, between the hours of 7 and 1 1 p. m., every racing 
man of any consequence may be seen. 

Persons desiring to see local stables may do so by visiting the race tracks at 
Westchester, Sheepshead Bay and Gravesend, where they will be courteously 
received by the superintendents in charge. As the stables move from place to 
place during the season, following the meetings in their order around the circuit, 
it is impossible to locate them permanently. 

The Riding Club of New York is the largest as well as the most exclusive in 
the country, and now occupies the largest and finest club-house in the world 
devoted to riding. It is between Fifth and Madison avs., is of brick, four stories 
high, and elegantly arranged. A ring, 100 x 105 ft. and stables capable of 
accommodating nearly 200 horses adjoin the house. 

Strangers interested in driving and riding may enjoy both in Central Park. The 
East and West drives are thronged, during the afternoon, with every description 
of vehicles, and the bridle-paths are crowded with cavalcades of horsemen. The 
most popular drive, however, is upper Seventh av. from Central Park northward 
to McComb's Dam bridge, over Harlem River. Here may be seen every day all 
the noted trotting men in the city, speeding their horses over the splendid thor- 
oughfare, which, by common consent, has been set apart for their use. To reach 
this drive take the Sixth Av. El. Rv. to 125th st. 

The Parade of the Coaching Club on the last Saturday in May of each year, is 
a brilliant show of drags, uniforms, and toilets and can be seen by any one who will 
take the trouble to go to Central Park at the advertised hour. This club dates 
from 1876, and has now some 35 coaches, several of which are out on fine days in 
the Park, and at the races. Taiidem drivers have also formed a club with a 
strong membership, a full account of which, with illustrations, may be consulted 
in The Cosmopolitan for July, i88g. 

Fox-hunting has taken a firm hold upon the affections of the rich young people 



94 GUIDE TO NFAV YORK CTTY. 

of this city and neighborhood, who have leisure and money to devote to it. The 
" hunts " are completely organized, on English models, and the runs (which consist 
in following for a while an anise-seed bag dragged over the ground to afford the 
hounds an imitation scent, and then turning loose a captive fox) are made on the 
plains of Long Island and in Essex Co., N. J. Illustrated articles on Cross Coun- 
try Riding in America, in The Century for July, 1886; and on Hunting, in The 
Cosmopolitan for May, 1889, give full information Kabint Coursing, another 
imported and aristocratic sport, has been begun by a club possessing grounds 
near Garden City, L. I., but has met with much opposition. 

Yachting, Boating and Fishing. 

The contiguous rivers and ocean give New Yorkers inclined to sailing, boating 
and fishing abundant opportunities for such sport ; it is rare, however, that any- 
thing "popular," like the watermen's races on the Thames, is heard of here; but 
there is an interest in sailing regattas 

Yacht Clubs. — The oldest and largest yacht-club is the JVeTH York, now 
housed in the old Municipal Club building at 67 Madison av. A remarkable 
collection of models is shown, and many trophies, foremost among them being the 
" America Cup," which has been the cause of several international contests. 

The Club-Course, where the mternational as well as local contests are sailed is 
just outside the harbor. The club has over 250 vessels in its fleet, and gives 
regattas each spring and fall, which are generally attended by excursion steamers 
carrying spectators. The charge is small and sailing hours are duly advertised. 
The Larchmont Yacht Club, the Seawanhaha, the American, the Atlantic, the 
Harlem and several minor clubs are in the neighborhood of the city. They have 
club houses, maintain fleets and give regattas. Among the most interesting are the 
Corinthian races, started by the Seawanhaka Club where the boats are manned 
and sailed by the amateur owners and their friends, without professional assist- 
ance. In addition to the regattas in the harbor, several clubs make annual 
cruises to the watering places along the New England coast. A yacht agency 
exists at 45 Beaver .St., where any one may charter a yacht, steam or sailing, for 
the season, or for a single cruise, and the cost is said not to be much larger than 
the maintenance of a family party at a fashionable seaside or mountain hotel dur- 
ing the same length of time. 

Rowng is very popular here, naturally enough. The banks of the middle 
stretch of Harlem River are lined on either side with large and well-arranged boat- 
houses, and every day, at any time, the oarsmen may be seen practicing in shells 
or working-boats. Columbia College Boat Club has a large house on the west 
bank of the river, at the terminus of Eighth av. ; the Nassati, the Gramercy, and 
others are situated near by. The visitor interested in aquatics will always be 



RA CING A ND A THL E TIC SPOR TS. 95 

hospitably received at any of these houses. Regattas are held here spring and 
fall, on varying dates. There are boat clubs in Brooklyn, having their head- 
quarters at the foot of Court st. ; prominent among these is the Alcyone Boat 
Chib. The Argonauta has its headquarters at Bergen Point, N. J. On the 
Passaic River, beyond New York, will also "be found a fine, smooth sheet of 
water, the banks of which are lined with boat-houses. Boats can always be hired 
for an hour's row on the Harlem, and at the Battery; but no one unacquainted 
with the tidal currents, and the impetuous habits of tugs and steamboats, ought to 
venture out into the harbor, unattended by a professional waterman. All along the 
Hudson shore opposite, and above the city, and in the waters about Staten Island 
and along the adjacent shore of New Jersey, good opportunities for boating may be 
found. About 50 cents an hour is the ordinary charge for a fair-sized row-boat. 

Canoeing also, has attained a great vogue of late years, and there are several 
clubs, with a local magazine (The American Canoeist, Brentano's) devoted to their 
affairs. 

Fishing in Salt Water, at proper times and seasons, affords a day's recrea- 
tion, now and then, to thousands of busy men, and often attracts enthusiastic 
anglers, who, living in the interior, take advantage of their visit to New York to 
enjoy a sport novel to them. 

Striped bass may be caught with a rod and reel, and crab bait, in Coney Island 
Creek (Van Licklanl station, Prospect Pk. and Con. Isld. R. K.) and at Cos 
Cob, 31 m. from New York, on New Haven R. R. Weakfish are said to be 
plenty in Newark Bay, the best fishing ground being by Newark Bridge. Better 
hire a boat at Bergen end of bridge and fish from boat under bridge on the side 
/'('T^w/v/ which tide is running. Best ]ilaces are the "500"' and " 1,000" ft. sec- 
tions. Use shedder crabs for bait. Another good place is " Robins' Reef," near 
the Lighthouse. Also " .Sand Island," which is a point running south "from Bed- 
loe's Island. Another, "The Plot," which lies between Bedloe's Island and 
Communipaw. All these places are good for striped bass and weakfish. At 
Princess Bay, accessible by the Staten Island Railroad, by boat from foot of 
Whitehall St., stopping at Gifford's station (fare 25 cts., distance, 12 miles), any 
quantity of weakfish may also be caught. See Clifford at this place. At Garrett 
Smith's, a station on the Long Island Railroad, this side of Rockaway Beach, 
weakfish, bluefish, and sheepshead may be caught in plenty. 

Bluefishing, perhaps the most exciting of all salt water angling in this latitude, 
is to be enjoyed in the spring along the south shore of Long Island, by chumming 
and by the use of rod and reel. Bay Shore, or any other station on the Great 
South Bay is a good starting point. 

Fishing of a less ambitious kind may be undertaken almost anywhere. At 
certain times the less frequented wharves and projections of the city water-front 
are lined with men and boys catching eels and several kinds of small fish, and part- 
ies go to City Island, Whitestone, various places in the Hudson, to the Kill von 
Kull, all along the Staten Island shore, Shrewsbury and Sandy Hook ; while adver- 
tisements will be seen in the newspapers of almost daily steamboat excursions for 
fishing to the " banks " off Sandy Hook. 



96 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 



Athletics. 

Several private gymnasiums exist, one of the best of which is Wood's in 28th st. 
near Fifth av. The V. M. C. A. have a very fine gymnasium, open to subscribers, 
in their central building and another in the Railroad Men's branch at Madison 
av. and 45th st. ; and a club named Atnerkan has been formed of Y. M. C. A. 
men, which gives annual exhibitions. The Westside, Olympia, Pastime and Cal- 
edonian clubs also give athletic exhibitions. Of these the most widely known is 
the Caledonian, which has a club-house on Jackson Square, and celebrates annual 
public contests in Jones' Wood, where peculiarly Scotch sports are given in cos- 
tume, in addition to the regular program of running, sprint and long-distance races, 
hurdle-races, the tug of war, standing jump, running jump, putting the heavy shot, 
walking matches, and similar feats. More pretentious than any of these, how- 
ever, is the National Association of Amatenr Athletes, whose headquarters is in 
this city (P. O. box 3478) and which controls athletic sports in this country, so 
far as possible in view of the opposition of the Afnatetir Athletic Union, -whost 
object is similar, and which is influential in this vicinity ; the latter's office 
is at 104 W. 55th St. The leading associations are the New York Athletic 
Club, the Manhattan Athletic Club, the Central Turn Verein and the Pastime 
Club. 

The New York Athletic Club dates from 1868, and hired rooms were at 
first occupied, but the organization grew, leased a gymnasium as a temporary 
club-house, and prospered steadily. Now the club occupies (since 1885) one of 
the finest buildings devoted to athletic club purposes in the world. It is on the 
corner of 55th st. and Sixth av., is built of brick and rises four full stories above 
the street. 

It measures on the ground 75 x 100 feet. The basement has six bowling- 
alleys, baths and massage-room, barber-shop, and a swimming-tank 20 x 60 feet. 
On the story above is the hzW-cafe, a large dining-room, and the parlors, the 
latter being furnished very handsomely. They are convenient to a reading-room, 
and to the billiard-hall. The locker floor, one ascent higher, contains 1,100 
lockers, a private dining-room, a boxing den, and dressing and toilet rooms. 
Next above this is the gymnasium proper, a grand apartment the whole size of 
the building, fitted up with all the a];)pliances and conveniences that knowledge 
and money can procure ; elevated around the room is a running track, of rubber, 
with 21 laps to the mile. The highest story is only over a corner of the structure 
and is the kitchen, all odors thus being kej^t awav from the house ]5roper. 

The open-air grounds of the club were in Mott Haven until recently, when they 
have been sold "to the Y. M. C. A. and the club has taken possession of Travers 
Island, one of the Glen Island group in Long Island Sound, near New Rochelle, 
which is named after the witty Wm. R. Travers, a former president of the club. 
Costly improvements of this property have been made, adapting it to the regattas 
and competition games held semi-annually. 



J? A CING A ND A THL E TIC SPOR TS. 97 

A younger athletic club is the Manhattan, which will soon occupy a magnifi- 
cent club-house at Madison av. and 45th St., to cost with its furnishings $750,000. 

The top floor will be devoted to a gymnasium 100 ft. by no ft., and there will 
be, besides, bowling-alleys, rifle-ranges, baths, a swimming tank, billiard-rooms, 
parlor and restaurant. A theatre will be found on the second floor. The grounds 
for exercise are at S6th st. and Eighth av., comprising an entire block, and the 
boat crews have a house on Harlem River. 

The Pastime Club is prospering, and boasts having given more champions and 
athletes of distinction to the record-making world, than any other club. Its 
grounds and house — once a church on the old Schermerhorn estate, perhaps a 
century ago — are on the bank of the East River at the foot of E. 66th st. ; and no 
social amusements are attempted to wean the members from their training. 

The Central Turn-Verein is the youngest, yet the strongest, of the thirteen 
German Turner societies in the city and neighborhood which constitute the New 
York District of the N. Am. Turner Union. The Central now has 2,500 
members, and owns what it considers the best building in America for its pur- 
poses. It covers an area 175 x 100 feet square, is erected in the German Ren- 
naissance style, and the fa9ade, with its noble doorway, is ornamented with medal- 
lions of '* Father John " and " Frobel," the founder of kindergartens. 

"The aims of the society — gymnastics, educational and entertaining — find 
sufficient space in this hall to extend themselves on a sound basis. The hall con- 
tains, besides a superb gymnasium furnished with an abundant equipment of 
apparatus, a swimming-bath, a shooting-gallery, a special room for the fencing 
lessons, a fine ball room, the largest in the city, with a stage for theatrical per- 
formances, a number of meeting rooms, a reading-room with a library, bowling 
alleys, restaurant, and last, but not least, in its eastern wing a number of spacious 
school rooms, sufficient for any branch the society may add to its program." — 
Cosmopolitan Magazine, December, 1SS9. 

field Sports. 

Closely allied to athletics are the field sports, which are designed as games for 
pleasure rather than exercises in strength and skill. Of these the leader is 

Baseball, played daily in or near New York as long as weather permits. The 
grounds for both League and Brotherhood games are at Eighth av. and 155th St., 
the terminus of the Sixth Av. El. Ry. The day and hour of all games are abund- 
antly advertised. 

In Brooklyn the grounds are at Fifth av. and 3d st. (a station on the Fifth 
Av. line of the Brooklyn El. Ry.) and are easily reached. The results of all the 
championship games throughout the country are displayed during the summer on 
newspaper bulletins, and in many other public places, as fast as the score is 
received by telegraph ; and two or three evening newspapers print extra late edi- 
tions principally devoted to this class of news. 



98 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Cricket has felt the general grovvtii of interest in out-door games. The city 
and its neighborhood counts a score or more clubs, the most important of which 
are the Staten Island, with grounds at Tompkinsville ; the St. George, at Hobo- 
ken; and the Manhattan, playing at Prospect Park. They are largely recruited 
from English and Scotch citizens, and many matches are played every summer. 

Tennis has hundreds of clubs, several of which have formed an association, 
which owns a fine building on 41st St., near Seventh av., with all conveniences for 
dressing, bathing, etc., and two full courts under a sky-lighted roof, which are 
rented for play to the associated clubs. For the extensive tennis grounds in Cen- 
tral and Prospect parks, see Parks. The Kacqtcet Club owns an elaborate 
house at Sixth av. and Twenty-sixth st., for the playing of its game (which 
bears some similarity to tennis) and also for social enjoyment. 

A Fencing Club has quarters at 19 W. 22d st., and details in regard to it may 
be found in The Centuyy for January, 1887. 

Bicycling and Tricycling are practiced by great numbers of young men and 
women in New York, of all classes of society ; and the Neiv York Bicycle Club is 
the founder of the American League of Wheelmen. The headquarters of this 
oldest club are at Broadway and 57th st. The Citizens' is at 58th st., near 
Eighth av., and the Ixion is at 4 E. 59th. Other clubs are, the Harlem lVheeh?ien 
and the Riverside. 

Although the public parks in all other large cities in the country were thrown 
open to bicyclers, Central Park remamed closed to them for a long while, but is 
now available at all times. The same is true of Prospect Park in Brooklyn. The 
avenues and boulevards and roads between 59th st. and Tarrytown, however, 
afford facilities for riding which bicyclers improve to the utmost. There are in 
the city now about 2,000 bicycle riders, and flourishing clubs exist in Brooklyn, 
Yonkers, and Newark, which join New York riders in races and parades. 

Rifle-Practice and Shooting. — The rifle shooting at Creedmoor, L. I., where 
is situated the range of the National Rifle Association, may interest military visi- 
tors, though the excitement of a few years ago in regard to it has subsided. 
Creedmoor is a small village on the Long Island R. R., 13J miles from New York, 
and on match days special trains run at short intervals. The range embraces 85 
acres of level sodded ground, and has 30 iron targets, which can be shot at at any 
distance from 50 to 1,200 yards, and a large wind dial shows the direction of the 
wind. The whole is the property of the N. R. A., and there are two hotels where 
the associations using the range and the officers of the National Guard have 
rooms, and where arms and ammunition can be obtained. Each regiment of the 
first and second brigades of the National Guard is required to practice here a cer- 
tain number of times during the year. Each armory (see Milit.\ry) has a range- 
and all over the city are small shooting-galleries. 



RACING AND ATHLETIC SPORTS. 99 

"Trap-shooting" clubs in New York and Brooklyn are the New York Gun 
Club, which shoots at Bergen Point, N. J. ; the Long Island Gun Club, which 
shoots at Dexter's, near Jamaica, Long Island; and the P'ountain Gun Club, 
which shoots at the Brooklyn Driving Park, near Coney Island. Hoboken also 
has one or more clubs for this sport. 

Lovers of highly-bred dogs will not forget that the Westminster Kennel Club 
holds an annual bench show of dogs, in February, usually in the American Insti- 
tute building, near the 65th st. station of the Third Av. El. Ry. This is a fashion- 
able " event," and great numbers of pets are seen, as well as all the larger classes 
of sporting and other dogs. This show (admission 50 cents) ought not to be 
missed by sportsmen or lovers of pets. 

An annual horse-show usually takes place in May. 

Winter Sports.— Whenever the weather is cold enough good skating is to be 
had, with much gayety, on the lake in Central Park, and on the sheets of water in 
the northern part of the city— especially Van Cortlandt Lake (N. Y. and North- 
ern R. R.). Snow enough for good coasting or tobogganing is very rare ; but 
there is often enough for short periods of sleighing, to the great profit of livery- 



VI. 

SUGGESTIONS AS TO SHOPPING. 



THE shopping district of New York, par excellence, is the quadrangle formed by 
Broadway from Union to Madison Square (the "ladies' half-mile"), West 23d st. 
to Sixth av., down that avenue to W. 14th St., and back tlirough that street to 
Union Sq. To this must be added a prolongation down Broadway as far as 
8th St. In this round are the greatest shops, of every kind in New York, yet by 
no means all of them. On Broadway, between Astor Place and -Madison Sq., are 
Scribner's and other large book stores, Daniell's, Denning's (the old " Stewart's ") 
and McCreery's dry goods stores, Mitchell & Vance (gas fixtures and brass 
work), the bent-wood show rooms, and various other good shops, all below 14th 
St. Brentano's foreign book and periodical shop, Tiffany's treasure-house of 
jewels, Schubert's, Pond's and several other music stores, Sarony's gallery, 
Sypher's silver and art-work store. Van Tine's Japanese bazaar, Sloane's carpet 
warehouse, the enormous store of Arnold & Constable, are the most famous of 
those between 14th and i8th sts. From there to Madison Sq., among many of 
scarcely less note, are the Gorham Silverware Company, Herts Brothers (furni- 
ture), Morrison's, Lord & Taylor's, and Brooks Bros, (clothiers.) Turning down 
\V. 23d St., Putnam's, Button's and several other fine book stores are passed in 
succession, Horner's artistic furniture shop, and on the south side of the street a 
long line of elegant stores for the sale of cloths, fancy goods, furs and the like, 
among which Le Boutillier, Stern Brothers, McCutcheon and Gunther are perhaps 
the best known names. Sixth avenue is probably the busiest shopping district in 
the city. A continuous line of stores extends from 34th to loth, and between 23d 
and 14th are many famous ones, such as Ehrich's, Altman's, O'Neill's, and Simp- 
son, Crawford & Simpson's — all on the west side of the way. Macy^s marks a 
vortex of retail trade, at the southeast corner of 14th st. and Sixth av., where the 
crowd and noise under the elevated railway station each evening is almost frightful 
to a person not used to such scenes of harmless strife, where everybody seems 
panic-stricken to a countryman's eyes. The two blocks in 14th between Sixth av. 
and Broadway are filled on the soutii side with shops for the sale of dry goods. 



SUGGEsrrOMS AS TO SHOPPING. 






fancy articles and house-furnishings. Hearn's, Rothschild's, Le lioutillier's, and 
the Palais Royal— all near Sixth av.— are prominent among them. On the north. 
side of the street is a long line of florists bric-a-brac and furniture shops, and 
agencies for an endless variety of folding beds, in the midst of which are the 

dignified mansion and large 
grounds of the Van Buren 
family, once the home of 
Martin Van Buren, Presi- 
dent of the United States 
in 1832-36. Facing Union 
Square, on 14th St., are the 
Butterick Pattern Company 
and the Domestic Sewing 
Machine Co., while the Sin- 
ger, White, alid nearly every other 
prominent sewing machine company 
in the country have offices near by. 
Another special shopping district 
is in Grand St., east of the Bowery, 
where Ridley's, a branch of Lord & 
Taylor's, and other huge shops invite 
the custom of the East Side, and 
are patronized by thousands of ladies 
from the eastern district of Brook- 
lyn. It is supposed that prices, as a 
rule, are somewhat lower there than 
in Sixth av. even, while these are 
less than those prevailing on Broadway. 

The great feature of shopping in New York is the prevalence of huge bazaars, 
like Macy's, where every sort of thing is sold that a woman would want to buy for 
herself, for her family or for her house, except heavy furniture, general provis- 
ions and the outer clothing of her men-folks. Ridley, Altnian and other mer- 
chants keep the widest possible variety of dry goods and fancy .articles ; but 
Macy's is an immense bazaar rather than a single establishment — a federation of 
separate special salesrooms under the same roof and subjected to common regula- 
tions for mutual benefit rather than one store divided into departments, as at 
Wanamaker's, in Philadelphia, for example. Here the visitor will find telegraph 
and telephone offices, a place to leave parcels on payment of ten cents, retiring 
rooms, an immense luncheon-room with moderate prices, and a detective system 
which guards the customer from pick-pockets, while it protects the firm from 
thieving. 

The "first requisite in a successful shopper is to know what is wanted and 
strength of mind enough to resist buying what one does not need, simply because 




ON WEST FOURTEENTH STREET. 



GUIDE TO Nh W YORK CTTY. 




it is cheap. A study of Harper s Bazar, or some other of the fashion periodicals, 
will give all the hints needed a« to the fashions of the moment or a choice of ma- 
terials, before entering on a tour of inspection. In all stores goods of every 
description are openly displayed, and a quick eye will very often see what is 
wanted without giving one's self the trouble of useless questions. Certain stores, 
like Macy's, are considered cheaper than others ; but the variation in the prices of 
standard goods is very small, and not enough to make up for the annoyance of 
crowds, the loss of time, etc. Sometimes real bargains 
are to be met with, through some change of stock. 
But these are quite as likely to be found at the higher 
priced stores as at the bazaars, or general outfitting 
houses. Certain establishments are noted for special- 
ties: Arnold & Constable's for dress goods and gloves; 
Altman's, for underclothing, gowns, gown fittings and 
fancy articles; Rothschild's for millinery materials; 
McCutcheon's on 23d st. for linen goods; Morrison's 
for imported dress trimmings, and so on. These are 
among the higher priced stores, but they are much 
more trustworthy, and their goods more likely to be 
satisfactory, than are the cheaper places. It often 
happens that articles apparently cheap are found not so 
upon comparison with something elsewhere. The rule 
holds, that a good article will always cost what it is 
worth, no matter where you get it, and if less than a 
standard price is asked, the article is somehow inferior. 

Advertisements of wonderful bargains are often to be seen in the daily newspapers 
but in almost all cases these are delusive, or if really what they are represented to 
be the chance lasts only for a day or two. Unless one spends one's whole time 
in seeking for fortunate chances, a dollar can rarely buy more than a dollar's worth. 
A shopper should be as courteous to clerks and fellow shoppers as to guests in 
one's own drawing room, and complaints as to the incivility of floor-walkers and 
salesmen or saleswomen are most often heard from those whose own behavior has 
been open to criticism. It is to the interest of the proprietors to please everybody, 
but their employees are mortal, and the crowds, heat, and work are often irritat- 
ing. Be considerate, therefore, wait for your turn, speak pleasantly, do not push 
roughly forward, and above all else have a clear idea of what you want, and make 
a choice with as few words and as little overhauling of goods as possible, thus 
saving both time and friction. A pleasant manner will insure courteous and help- 
ful treatment in nearly all cases, even when the clerks are tired, and your own 
mind is perplexed by the many things spread before your eyes. 

Special Trade-districts, — A person interested in purchasing any special line 
of articles, and wishing to have an opportunity for wide selection, should consult 
the Business Directory, where the addresses and specialties of dealers are given 
under their appropriate heads. The tradesmen in each line are inclined to group 
themselves in this city as in other cities ; and a few hints as to where to look for 
the commoner divisions of trade maybe serviceable to the reader. Art-works and 
pictures— to begin at the head of the alphabet — are mainly to be seen in Fulton 
St., and in Fifth av. and on Broadway from 22d st. up ; painters' materials may 



SUGGESTIONS AS TO SHOPPING. 103 

be bought in Fourth av. near loth st., in Sixth av. near 17th and elsewhere. 
For bric-a-brac look along upper Broadway and Fifth av. and near Wall st. 
Books center in Broadway below Sth, Astor Place, Fourth av. between Bible House 
and 14th St., and in 23d near Broadway (see Libraries). Catholic books and 
goods are sold principally in Barclay st., due to the fact that there was the first 
R. C. church (St. Peter's) in New York. Canary-birds and pet animals are nu- 
merous in the Bowery and among the Germans of the East Side, and in upper 
Sixth and Third avs. For Carpets go to Sloane's at Broadway and i8th st., and 
to the great dry goods and furniture stores generally. Clothing stores and 
tailors are scattered everywhere ; but the principal makers and dealers in ready- 
made clothing for men and boys are in Broadway between Bleecker and Canal 
sts., in the side-streets near there and opposite the City 
Hall. Chinese wares can be had in Mott st. and at the 
lower end of the Bowery, one of the best stores being 
up a narrow stairway at 10 Chatham sq. The Dry- 
goods district is along and west of Broadway, where 
$500,000,000 worth of merchandise, it is said, is some- 
times " in stock " at once. Drng stores are everywhere 
and alvvays conspicuous; the wholesale drug district is 
in lower Fulton st. and thence along Pearl and Water 
sts. to Hanover sq., where it mingles with the whole- 
sale Tobacco, Oil and Metal trade ; and the wholesale 
Grocers are clustered on the west side, where Hudson 
and West Broadway converge upon Chambers st. 

„. , . ,, J , £ ij ■ 'N DIVISION ST. 

Fishing-tackle and sportsmen s outfits are sold in 

Nassau St., above Fulton, in Fulton and in Park Place at Church st. ; Fire-artns 
in Broadway just above Chambers; and Fire-works in Park Place. Furnittire men 
and Florists are everywhere, especially in W. 14th and W. 23d sts., and on upper 
Broadway and Fifth av. Japanese goods abound in Broadway near Bleecker and 
above Union sq. P'or Jewels, silverware, watches and all such goods, search 
Maiden Lane and John st., which is nearly filled with the workshops and sales- 
rooms of jewelers and gold and silversmiths, and also visit Tiffany's, and the 
many other dealers near Union sq. Implements for lawn-tennis, base-ball and all 
out-door games and sports can be had in Park Place and Nassau st. ; and lumber 
is stacked in mountain piles along the East and North rivers. Leather at whole- 
sale occupies several blocks in " the swamp," just below the Brooklyn Bridge. 
For Millinery of the highest kind go to W^est 14th and 23d sts., and to the elegant 
importing shops along Fifth av. between 27th and 33d sts. ; but it is worth a lady's 
while, as a curious phase of the metropolis to walk a little way up Division st. 
east from Chatham sq., where scores of bonnet and trimming shops stand side by 




104 GUTDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

side, and in front of each a young woman or a little girl beseeching you to 
enter and buy and to jkiv no attention to "that thing" (her next-door rival), who 
insists that you shall examine her stock of headgear. Musical Iiistrtcttiettts are 
to be found in P'ulton st., Maiden Lane and along Broadway; and there are colo- 
nies of these merchants, and of small makers and repairers of musical instruments, 
in Broome st., in the Bowery and in E. Houston st. The Piano men are getting 
all together in splendid establishments on Fifth av. between 15th and 20th sts. 
and near Union sq. For Notions and fancy goods, search Broadway from Cham- 
bers to Bleecker St., and the " dry-goods district " generally : the silk men are 
mainly in Broome St., and its neighborhood just west of Broadway; and hat and 
glove makers assemble in up]:)er Church st. For Optical Instruments go to Fulton 
St. and Maiden Lane, and along lower South st. Paper and stationery at whole- 
sale is bought in Keade st. or near there, as a rule; but the cheapest place for 
stationery and office supplies and office furniture at retail is in Nassau st., or in 
the neighborhood of Washington Market. Pawn-brokers and junk-shops abound in 
Chatham St., the Bowery, and at the lower end of Sixth av., but they are scattered 
all over the poorer parts of the city; the \3xge.s\. Jniik-s/iops (where many curious 
trinkets may be picked up), are most frequent along the East River above and 
below Fulton Market. Pottery ivares of all kinds, and especially imported 
ceramic goods, are to be found at wholesale and retail in Park Place, Murray 
and Warren sts., and along Fifth av. and Broadway above Madison sq. For 
Pipes and amber articles go to Kaldenberg under the Astor House and Fulton st. 
Toys are best bought in Broadway and on 14th st. near Union sq. 

This list might, of course, be greatly extended, but it hardly seems necessary. 
New Yorkers know where to go to get special things at reduced rates, or of partic- 
*ularly good quality, and your town acquaintances can give you more hints in 15 
minutes than a book could tell you in as many pages. 



E. J. DENNING & CO. 



SUCCESSORS TO 



A. T. Stewart & Co. 

^RETAIL) 

r^^NEW YORK. -. 



DEALERS IN 



FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC 

DRY GOODS 



EVERY DESCRIPTION. 



ORDERS BY MAIL. 



Having a department organized specially for filling 
\^ I / orders sent by uiail from any part of the country, they 

•- — have superior facilities for conducting that branch of 

/\ N. the dry goods business, and can guarantee promptness 

and satisfaction in all cases. 



Dry Goods Delivered at all accessible Points 
Free of Mail or Express Charges. 

Samples and Information sent free on application. 



VII. 




THE CITY'S PARKS AND SQUARES. 



' EW YORK glories in her parks, an congratulates herself 
that the fathers were wise enough to reserve so many 
small breathing spaces even in the most crowded parts 
of the city as her " squares " represent. There are no 
less than forty such spaces between the Battery and the 
Bronx devoted to sunlight and recreation, some of wide 
acreage, like the Central or Van Cortlandt, others mere 
breadths of paving, surrounding a tiny bit of green, as 
at Tackson sq., while a few are private grounds, of which Chelsea sq., at Ninth av. 
and 20th st. and Gramercy Park are examples. 

All the parks of the city are under control of a commission appointed by the 
Mayor : and this commission also has charge of the laying out and improvements 
of the streets and drives in the " annexed district." The policemen clothed in 
gray, who are on duty in all parks and public squares, are subordinate to this com- 
mission, and quite separate from the blue-coated city force, which affects to 
despise them intensely, and calls them " sparrow-chasers " ; nevertheless the Park 
Police are an effective and useful body of men. The ordinary annual expendi- 
tures in improvement of parks is between one and two hundred thousand dollars ; 
but in 1889, arrangements were completed for the installation and improvement of 
new parks north of the Harlem, by issuing nearly $10,000,000 of bonds by the city, 
and the money thus raised is now being expended on what in a few years will be- 
come a most beautiful series of woodland spaces reserved in the midst of the fast 
advancing cit}', connected by delightful drives or "parkways," and in some 
instances reached by steamboats on East River. Ultimately these parks will be 
connected with Brooklyn's systems by a bridge and boulevard. 

Battcrv Park, Bowling Green 2iwAJeannette Square, at the southern extremity of 
the island, and City Hall Park and the open area in front of The Tribuite building. 



io6 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

called Printing-house Square, are described elsewhere. Little spaces of green 
turf and trees, railed in and surrounded by busy streets, are found at the Five Points, 
on Duane St., on Beach St., at the foot of Canal st., in East Grand St., in front of the 
Cooper Union and near the foot of Christopher st. Abingdon Squa>e, where 
Eighth av. turns out of Hudson st., was at one time a fashionable locality ; and 
Jackson Square, where Hudson st., W. 13th st, and Greenwich av., intersect, is a 
good bourgeois neighborhood, largely inhabited by Scotchmen, whose Caledonian 
clubhouse over-looks it. Washington, Union, Madisoji and Stnyvesant squares, 
and Bryant and Graniercy parks, will be described in the " Tour of the City." 
Tompkins Square is a space on the East Side, some ten acres in extent, between 
avenues A and B, and 7th and loth sts., which has lately been improved, and will 
in time become a park of great beauty. It is the evening resort of the vast popu- 
lation of wage workers who live in its neighborhood, and music is furnished by 
the city on Saturday afternoons. 

Central Park. 

Central Park covers, by its name, not only the 1^ square miles of park proper, 
but the additional space called Manhattan Square, west of Eighth av., where the 
American Museum of Natural History stands; that Museum itself; the Metro- 
politan Museum of Art; the Obelisk; the Menagerie; the Croton reservoir, and 
the fashionable Drive of the city. 

Means of access to Central Park. — The Broadway and Seventh av., the 
Sixth av., the Eighth av. and the Belt Line horse-cars go directly to the lower end 
of the park. The Eighth av. line runs along the whole length of its western side ; 
and the Fourth av. line (on Madison av.), is only one short block east of it. The 
Fifth av. stages go to its main entrance, and along its eastern side as far as the 
Met. Mus. of Art, at 8ist st. The Sixth Av. El. Ry. reaches the foot of the Park 
at 58th St. by many direct trains, or by a change from Harlem trains at 50th st. ; 
it also runs along the western side of the park on Ninth av., with a station 
opposite the Museum of Nat. History and the 77th st, gate on that side. The 
Third Av. El. Ry. is four blocks east of the park ; its 67th st. station is most 
convenient for the Menagerie and lower part of the park, and its 84th st. station 
for the Art Museum and Obelisk. 

Lower Park. — Central Park is divided into two nearly equal halves, a north- 
ern and a southern, by the high ground around the Belvedere and the sunken road 
at 79th St., beyond which, northward, are the reservoirs and the upper park, to 
which, however, a stranger does not ordinarily extend his walk. The principal 
entrance to the park is at 59th st. and Fifth av., where the Drive begins and where 
the park phaetons start. This is called the Scholars' Gate, and it is appropriately 



PARKS AND SQUARES— CENTRAL PARK. 107 

adorned by a colossal bust of Alex, von Humboldt, at the unveiling of which, in 
1874, Prof. Louis Agassiz made a memorable address. At Eighth av. and 59th st., 
is another spacious entrance, where the statue of " Commerce," presented to the 
city in 1865 by Mr. Stephen B. Guion, may be seen. Gates will also be found 
where Seventh and Sixth avs. abut upon the park. The Scholars' Gate (Fifth av. 
and 59th St.) is the best starting point for a ramble, and the reader is advised to 
make his way along the broad thoroughfare leading inward from that entrance, 
which in five minutes will bring him to the 

Menagerie. — The living animals displayed here will hold his attention a longer 
or shorter time according as his interest in them is large or small. They are 
grouped in small houses around the old Arsenal, a picturesque building now 
containing a stable and police-station in the basement, offices for the administra- 
tion of the park and vivaria on the upper floors, and a meteorological observatory 
of much consequence in the attic; it is close to the gate at 64th st. and Fifth av. 
In front of it are houses and cages containing the monkeys, the parrots and other 
tropical birds, and certain cats and other small animals that require warmth ; a 
cage of eagles ; a large, wire-fronted aviary, and several pens containing buffalos, 
deers, etc. In the rear of the Arsenal are pens for the deers, bisons, oriental 
buffalos and other quadrupeds ; the great tank for the sea-lions ; and exposed 
cages with wolves, etc. In winter many of these cages and paddocks are unoccu- 
pied, the animals that inhabit them in warm weather having been put under 
shelter. The lion-house, containing the lions, tigers, leopard, etc., the two- 
horned rhinoceros, and the interesting pair of hippopotami (which are provided 
with a huge tank), is among these cages, and forms the central attraction to most 
visitors. In the rear of that is the deer-house and adjoining paddocks, where 
elks, giraffes, oriental goats, etc., are lodged ; and behind that the house for the 
elephants, and the pond and paddock where the storks and some other large birds 
live. The bear pits are hollowed into the side of a rocky ledge near by, and form 
an unfailing attraction to the children. 

The zoological collection is not very large, and, now that " Crowley " and 
" Kitty Crowley," the chimpanzees, have succumbed to the climate and passed 
away, no species of extraordinary interest is included. In winter many animals 
belonging to circuses are boarded here, and form a part of the exhibition, which, 
consequently, is much more extensive at that season than in summer. It is well 
worth seeing at all times, however, and Superintendent Conklin, who has been in 
charge many years, is entitled to great credit for his management of the 
menagerie. It is probable that the whole collection of living animals w'ill soon be 
moved to some other place in the park, but this matter is at present undecided. 

The Mall, Esplanade, etc. — In moving about the menagerie, glimpses are 
caught of the winding, rocky shored piece of water at the southern end of the 



io8 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

park called The Pond ; it is often extremely pretty, and a short walic to the 
bridge in the rear of the Menagerie should be taken, in order to look at it. This 
done turn your face northward, pass beneath the arch that carries a drive over the 
main pathway and follow its windings onward until it brings you out upon the 
Mall. This is a broad level space of rather high ground, a quarter of a mile long, 
planted with parallel rows of stately elms, between which broad and straight 
paths of asphalt, lined with seats, run straight to where the prospective is beauti- 
fully closed by the carved balustrades of the Terrace, over which, in the remote 
distance, rises the tower and flag of the Belvedere. Southward, a charming 
glimpse is caught, through the trees, of the tall apartment-houses on 59th st. and 
of the roofs and steeples along P'ifth av. At your left stretches the undulating 
iawns o.f The Green, dotted here and there, perhaps, with pasturing sheep, under 
the faithful watch of " Old Shep " — a dog whose fame has gone far and wide {See 
St. NicJiolas, Vol. XI. Part II., page 747.) Below the Green, nearer to the Eighth 
av. entrance, is the ball ground, devoted to boys' amusements ; but it is invisible 
from here and the noise of its shouting players does not despoil the silence. At 
the lower end of the Mall is a statue of Shakespeare, by J. Q. A. Ward, erected 
there in 1872, on the 300th aniversary of the poet's birth; and just above it, fac- 
ing each other, are statues of Burns and Scott, both in sitting postures, and 
appropriately borne upon pedestals of Aberdeen granite. Both were modeled by 
John Steele, of Edinburgh, and presented to New York by resident Scotchmen. 
Ward's " Indian Hunter " stands somewhat behind the Burns statue, looking 
eagerly toward the Green ; and a few rods up the Mall is the bronze statue of 
Fitz Greene Halleck, modeled by Wilson MacDonald. The Mall is the great 
promenade of the park, and on summer afternoons is always filled with loiterers, 
while goat carriages, carrying happy youngsters, race up and down one of the side- 
paths. At the upper end is the Kiosk, in which, on Sunday afternoons, a band 
plays in the presence of great throngs of listeners of every class of society ; 
and significantly overlooking this musical spoc is the bust of Beethoven, 
unveiled with much ceremony in July, 1884. At the upper end of the Mall 
are 

The Terrace and Lake. — Here was naturally a valley, winding east and west, 
and the landscape gardeners took advantage of it to make a lake, which winds about 
among rocky ridges in a bewildering and beautiful way. On this side the high- 
est bank is bordered by a curving balustrade of freestone masonry, elaborately 
carved and half overgrown with trailing viies, from which a broad stairway, with 
richly carved panellings at the side, leads down through a covered court to a large 
esplanade (the Lower Terrace) which borders upon the lake and surrounds the 
noble Bethesda Fountain. This fountain was made in Munich, from designs by 
Miss Emma Stebbins, and suggests its meaning at a glance — an angel poised 



.rf^H vr 




IN CENTRAL PARK. 



PARKS AND SQUARES— CENTRAL PARK. 109 

gracefully over, and blessing the waters that gush naturally from the rocks beneath 
her feet and then fall into an ornamental basin. 

At a little distance are seen the Boat-houses, where one may seat himself in a 
barge, after paying ten cents, and be rowed the round of this pretty sheet of water 
by oarsmen dressed as though they had just stepped off the deck of H. M. S. 
Pinafore. In winter, whenever the ice has been proved safe, this lake is illumi- 
nated and skating is permitted. 

Leaving the Terraces by the broad path that leads through flowers and shrubbery 
toward the left, the Narrows of the lake are crossed by a bridge, whence an exquis- 
ite landscape is opened, and we plunge into the rocky and wooded mazes of 

The Ramble. — Here no " guide " is wanted, — the very genius of the place, 
which has been left as wild as possible, and whose paths wind in and out most 
confusingly or come to a sudden halt against the rocks or lake shore, is to wander 
without method or care till you are rested from the formality and crowd of the 
town, "so near and yet so far." A noble bust of Schiller; rustic cabins set upon 
lofty points of rock; narrow gorges hung with blossoming vines; splashing 
waterfalls ; a gloomy cave ; thickets, flowers, birds, woodland sights and sounds — 
these are the features of The Ramble. The picking of flowers, and the breaking of 
twigs are wisely forbidden, and the rule is enforced by the park police, so that 
the botanist in search of specimens must not hope to increase his collection here ; 
but every variety of tree and shrub is well labeled with the common and the scien- 
tific name, so that one may, if he chooses, make an hour's stroll fruitful in botani- 
cal information. It is a fine place for birds, too, and they are wonderfully tame 
— even the wary spring migrants which throng in the Ramble, especially during 
May and June. Signs here and there help the rambler to find his way. One of 
these directs him to the Carrousel— a place for children's games, with swings, 
merry-go-rounds, etc. Another sign directs him to the Dairy, near by, where milk, 
bread and butter, cheese and the like may be bought for a luncheon. The Belve- 
dere is not far away, along shady paths and over bare rocks ; and it should not 
be forgotten. The view from its tower is worth far more than the small exertion 
of climbing to the outlook. The reservoirs seen at the foot of the tower and 
northward are those which first receive the Croton water, and whence it is dis- 
tributed. From the Belvedere a path down an avenue of thorn-trees, which com- 
pletely overarch it, leads eastward to the main thoroughfare, whence it is only a 
short distance to the Art Museum and Obelisk at 82d st. and Fifth av., a 
description of which will be found a few pages ahead. 

Returning from the Belvedere to the Ramble, keep along the edge of the Lake, 
cross another bridge, pausing a moment to look at the swans, and walk straight on 
to the gate at 77th st. A large unfinished stone and brick building faces you on 
the opposite side of Eighth av., surrounded by wide and regular lavvns. The 



no GULDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

green space is Manhattan Square, an annexation to Central Park ; and the uncom- 
pleted building is the nucleus of 

The American Museum of Natural History. — What appears now — large as 
it is — is only a beginning. The entire building, as designed, will occupy the 
whole of Manhattan sq. and embrace four great courts, surrounding the present 
brick building. It will be made wholly of stone, brick and iron, and thus be 
absolutely fire-proof and a safe depository for the valuable libraries and collection 
of specimens illustrating man's career upon the earth, and the mineral, animal 
and vegetable kingdoms. The architecture will be imposing, and a lofty dome 
will rise above the central structure. 

The present entrance is in the east front, and planked walks lead to the door 
from the Park gate, and also from the 8ist st. station of the Sixth Av. El. Ry. 
(Ninth av. and 8ist st.). The admittance is free, and the museum is open on 
Wednesday and Saturday evenings until lo o'clock. The general offices are on 
the first floor, near the entrance. Pamphlets descriptive of the geological and 
ornithological collections, and of the Jessup collection of woods, may be pur- 
chased at the door. The system of labelling is so complete, however, that these 
are not required by the ordinary visitor. 

The first or ground-story hall is occupied by the collection of Mammals, begin- 
ning with skulls and skeletons of certain savage races. Next follow some natu- 
rally mounted figures of a family of orang-utans of Borneo. " The full-grown 
male and female, and others of different ages, are here, including a baby which 
swings in the tree-top. The tree, foliage, and fruit are made in imitation of spec- 
imens brought from the East ; and a rude platform, or nest, of leaves and small 
boughs is made to represent the exact method of construction [of its bed by this 
ape] .... Adjoining cases contain many specimens of apes and monkeys, fol- 
lowing down the scale to the lemurs ; many were mounted by Verreaux, of Paris, 
who studied their attitudes in their native wilds." Then, according to the classifica- 
tion, come the insect-eating bats, moles, shrews, hedgehogs and the like. Next are 
the carnivorous beasts — the cats leading, with the lion at their head. All are 
descriptively labelled, and the taxidermy is artistic. 

" To make this museum a means of conveying useful knowledge," says Dr. 
Holder, curator of this department, " care has been exercised in arranging the 
groups that an unbroken connection — so far as is possible in the present light 
of science — may be preserved. Many of the great beasts not yet exhibited are 
represented by some important part, as the skeleton or skull, which is placed 
where the animal would belong, and suggests its alliance with others. ... It is 
the purpose of the trustees to secure, as rapidly as possible, the most perfect ex- 
amples of our American mammals, not, by any means neglecting others, . . . An 
admirable idea, carried throughout the collections, is the introduction of mounted 
skeletons at stated intervals, a glance at which shows, in connection with the 
exterior development, the reason why the animals are so arranged. No one, by 



PA RK'S—MUSE UM OF NA TURA L HIS TOR Y. in 

this aid, could fail to recognize a variety of the cat family, nor would affinities of 
the wolf or fox with the dog be questioned. There are many instances where the 
affinities are more obscure, and it is the purpose of the arrangement in cases to 
render the subject of classification more familiar to visitors. The specimens are 
the best that can be procured, and many are exceedingly rare. They are mounted 
on handsome stands and plainly labelled, the common name being jslaced more 
conspicuously than the scientific. Notes appertaining to the history of the speci- 
mens, for the use of students, are preserved on the bottom of the stands and in a 
book kept for that purpose." 

This hall is so crowded, and so subject to change, that no directory to it can 
be given ; but cases will ]je found containing a great number of quadrupeds in 
addition to those mentioned, the names of which are attached. In the same great 
room will be found the display of reptiles, amphibians (frogs, turtles, etc.), and of 
fishes, — the last chiefly by their skeletons or bodies preserved in alcohol. " The 
skeletons of fishes are among the gems of the collection, in the sense of mechan- 
ism as well as scientific value. They are split, and one half is wired on aboard, 
each bone independently, and so adjusted that it may be removed singly for exam- 
ination." 

The second floor is reached by a broad stairway, or by the elevator near the 
entrance, and is devoted on the flioor to Birds, and in the gallery to Ethnology. 
It is a beautiful hall, filled with interesting objects, and will engross the larger 
part of the visitor's time. 

" Earnest attention has been given here to a subject much neglected hitherto in 
museums, the tasteful adaptation of the necessary furniture. We see here that 
everything is subordinate to the purpose of exliibiting the objects in the best possi- 
ble manner. The specimens being the best that can be obtained, they more satis- 
factorily stand the test behind the flood of light admitted through the great glass- 
jjlate doors. The old method of native bough and moss accessories is abandoned, 
its too naturalistic litter proving a nuisance in a well ordered museum. Accord- 
ing to the present method the objects are regarded as so many works of art. 
They must be mounted for exhibition, and must be labeled and subject to being 
placed readily in the course of classification. They must be separately mounted 
that students may easily handle them. In view of these requirements a specimen, 
say a bird, is mounted on a perch or stand, and one that shall be in its pro])ortions 
and purposes what the pedestal is to a bust or statue. These are planned to be 
proportionate to the specimen. The perch is sufficiently large to allow the feet to 
clasp naturally, and all mechanical supports are kept out of sight. 

" Unlike the usual custom, the experiment has been tried here of placing the 
l^rds of each country in groups by themselves. This method is not only pleasing 
in its effect, but gives an impression to the great numbers who visit the museum 
of the distribution of life. Drawings, written descriptions, and classified skeletons 
will be added to aid the student in ornithology." — Holder. 

You start on the left hand as you enter with a nearly complete collection of the 
birds of North America. The song-birds come first in the list, followed by the 
crows and jays, woodpeckers, swifts, etc., and the many doves and pigeons. 



112 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Next follow the vultures and other birds of prey, closing with the owls ; then the 
game birds of all parts of the continent, the beach-birds and marsh-fowl, the ducks 
and geese, and last of all the wild and oddly shaped cormorants, pelicans, the 
huge albatross, tiny petrel and awkward penguin. Among the last named, occu- 
pying a small case by itself, is one of only four specimens in the United States of 
the great auk or gare-fowl, which became extinct almost a century ago, but which 
in early times was extremely numerous on the islands of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 
This skin was bought in London, in 1868, and cost $625 in gold. The fac simile 
of the egg was modeled after one of the few genuine eggs existing in European 
cabinets. The skeleton and bones were gathered from the earth of the Funk 
Islands, off the northern coast of Newfoundland, where these helpless birds were 
sacrificed in thousands for the sake of their feathers, by the early fishermen and 
seal-hunters. Rare and curious specimens in all classes, including types from 
Audubon's own cabinet, three good specimens of the extinct Labrador duck, etc., 
present themselves for the admiration of ornithologists. In each alcove table-cases 
are filled with the nests and eggs of the l)irds in the adjacent cases ; and there are 
also some exceedingly effective examples of taxidermy, as, for instance, the group 
of towhees, and the cluster of homes of the cliff-swallows, with the birds poised in 
the air before their retort-shaped nests of mud. 

Next follow the birds of South America, among Which the humming birds will 
longest hold the eye of the visitor, who will not refuse to admire the plumage 
of the splendid green trogons, the gaudy macaw parrots and the varied but always 
gay parakeet. The condor and otlier great Andean vultures will attract atten- 
tion here. 

The cases along the western wall are devoted, at the southern end, to water- 
fowl, and sportsmen will linger long over their favorites in duck-shooting. A 
great variety of foreign and domestic game-birds follow, including the wide-spread- 
ing peacock and argus pheasants of India. A gaudy array of Old World parrots 
and parakeets is next seen, besides an almost equally brilliant collection of king- 
fishers (extremely numerous in Asia). The extraordinary African horn-bills, a 
long list of foreign woodpeckers, and a crowd of European and Eastern singing 
birds lead us on to where the lovely lyre and paradise birds, with tails fully 
spread, solicit our praise. 

The broad gallery or mezzo-floor, devoted to Ethnology, which encircles the 
Hall of Birds, is reached by stairway or elevator. If you take the latter convey- 
ance you miss the tall carved "totem" or heraldic posts, made by the Tshimsean 
Indians of the northern coast of British Columbia, who set these posts before the 
doors of their large timber-houses, as a sort of sign of their ancestry and quality. 
Notice should also be taken of the curious " wood-skin " canoe, made of a single 
sheet of bark, and used by the Indians on the rivers of British Guiana. It may 



PA RKS—MUSE UM OF NA TURAL HIS TOR V. 113 

be compared with several other savage canoes, to be seen within the room, of 
which the great dug-out of the Haidas of the Queen Charlotte Islands, which 
hangs from the ceiling, is the most conspicuous. 

At each side of the entrance a mummy stands, as if on guard ; and each is cir- 
cumstantially described by large labels. The cases on the left, all the way down 
that (the eastern) side of the hall, are filled with the handiwork of the savage 
islanders of the South Pacific archipelago, mainly gathered by Mr. Appleton Stur- 
gis. Weapons and dresses from Fiji and New Guinea come first ; then articles 
of various kinds from Easter Island, noted for its colossal stone images, the 
makers and purpose of which are unknown to the present islanders; then a large 
series of ornamented paddles, fishing tackle, etc., followed by hundreds of war 
clubs of wood and stone, curious, often elegant and always murderous; cloth- 
ing and articles of personal adornment, made of bark in a great variety of ways; 
ornaments of shells, and all sorts of bright little objects likely to please a savage 
fancy; and some most ingenious and tasteful specimens of weaving, carving and 
of the turning to a hunter's or housewife's utility of apparently useless materials. 
Samoa contributes many of the most interesting of these, and a share of the 
dreadful spears, armed with rows of sharks' teeth, which fill an upright case. 

At the southern extremity of the gallery are costumes and many objects made 
and used by the Eskimos, together with relics of some of our Arctic expeditions. 
Here is a large series of Alaskan handiwork, of which the masks used in their 
dances are most prominent. Here, too, are their medicine rattles, fish clubs and 
fishing implements, paddles, and a great variety of implements and household 
utensils made of wood, horn, ivory, bone and stone, all elaborately and quaintly 
carved and ornamented. The great ingenuity of the Alaskans and their neighbors 
of the more southern Pacific coast, whose handiwork is displayed near them, will 
be more admired than their good taste, from our point of view. It must be remem- 
bered, however, that much of what seems to us mere caricatures of animals and 
men, etc., are symbolical figures full (ti meaning to the people who made and 
owned them. Collections of articles made by the savage natives of the west coast 
of Africa, of Central America and of various other districts of the uncivilized 
world, fill the remaining cases back to the door, where, against the wall, is a fine 
series of primitive stone implements. 

The line of table-cases along the balustrade should not be neglected. Many of 
them contain small articles characteristic of the people represented in the adjacent 
upright cases. Near the door, however, is a splendid series of specimens illus- 
trating the rude beginning of man upon the earth. These were taken, as the 
labels fully describe, from the ]3leistocene gravels of northern France, and show in- 
disputably the contemporaneity there of man and the elephant, the cave bear and 
many other animals extinct in Europe long before the beginning of the era. 
Along the eastern side a series of implements in stone, bone, etc., illustrates the 
age of paleolithic man in' America. 

" The Geological Hall, in the next story above, is rather more imposing than the 
others ; its high walls and great iron columns and girders, its large windows> 
admitting a flood of light, all impress the visitor very sensibly." The larger por- 
tion of this hall is devoted to the great collection of fossils purchased from Prof. 
J. H. Hall, of Albany, formerly state geologist, which are the results of a lifetime 



114 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

of work in the field and laboratory. A great number of them are " types " of his 
species, and hence priceless to paleontologists. To the unscientific the broad 
slabs of Connecticut sandstcine, marked with the footprints of the reptiles that 
crawled over the surface when it was plastic mud ; and the fine skeletons of the 
fossil Irish elk, and of the extinct moa of New Zealand, will prove the most in 
teresting objects. • 

A large and extremely handsome and valuable collection of minerals, and the 
Jay collection of shells, are also crowded into this room, awaiting the completion of 
new quarters for their proper display. 

The attic floor holds a series of fine apartments. One of them is a lecture room, 
where Prof. A. -S. Bickmore, .Superintendent of the Museum, lectures on Saturday 
mornings, in winter, to an eagerly attentive audience of teachers ; another is given 
up to a branch of the U. S. Geological Survey; and the rest are laboratories and 
store-rooms, closed to the public. On this highest floor, too, are established the 
library of the New York Academy of Sciences and the special libraries of the 
Museum itself. 

The Drive. — After this museum has been examined to your satisfaction, a good 
plan will be to return to Central Park and wait until one of the public carriages 
comes along, northward bound. These carriages or " phaetons " are roomy and 
easy-going affairs, which make the complete circuit of the park at intervals of 
about half an hour. The fare is 25 cents for each passenger for the whole ride. 
This pleasant and profitable trip (which by the way is not beneath the dignity of 
any one), begins at the Fifth av. and 59th st. entrance. The course is to and past 
the end of the Mall, showing its green parterres, the noble breadth of the Green 
and all the statues there ; then along the western side of the Mall and to a knoll 
at the lower end of the Lake, passing the fine bronzes " Tigress and Young " by 
Aug. Caine, and "The Falconer" by George Simonds. The course is then 
around the western extremity of the Lake, past the heroically tall bronze statue of 
Daniel Webster, which was modeled by Thomas Ball, and stands opposite "jzd st. 
The Lake remains prettily in view for some time on the right, with the woods of 
the Ramble, and the mediaeval tower of the Belvedere as its background. On the 
left, outside the park, the Dakota flats — a huge, yellow, gable-roofed building, 
and, at 77th st., the large and shapeless Museum of Natural History are conspic- 
uous. The memorial statue of the Seventh Regiment also stands near 72d st., and 
not far from it is a bust of Mazzini, the Italian liberator, modeled by Turini 
and the gift of Italian citizens. Leaving the Lake shore, the Drive loses itself 
among almost continuous lines of trees. The grim walls of the lower reservoir 
are near at hand on the right. Near the 8ist st. gate an equestrian statue of Gen. 
Simon Bolivar will attract notice. It was a gift from the government and people 
of the Venezuelan Republic. Through thickening and beautiful woods, opening 



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PARKS— CENTRAL PARK DRIVE. 115 

here to a glimpse of sunny hill-slopes or rocky exposures, and there to the shining 
surface of the lake-like reservoir, the passenger rolls smoothly along the perfectly 
kept road. If it is in the morning not many carriages will be seen, but the bridle- 
path which follows the road pretty closely may be well filled ; but if the hour is 
toward sunset the Drive will be crowded with handsome equipages and one may 
feel himself quite " in the swim." The upper end of the park is much wilder and 
more solitary than the lower end ; and here, on a bit of a hilltop called Mt. St. 
Vincent, at the extreme end of the Drive, is a large restaurant and lounging place, 
where excellent fare is given at moderate rates. 

The southward ride along the East Drive differs from the upper part of the 
West Drive, only in the fact that you overlook a wide area of half-built town, the 
most conspicuous structure being the fortress-like armory of the Twelfth Regi- 
ment. Fifth av. shows some fine new houses as far up as this, however, and by 
the time the looth st. gate is passed has become a solid line of brown stone pal- 
aces. The 015elisk and Metropolitan Museum of Art are passed at 82d St., with 
passing glances of admiration for Conradt's statue of Alexander Hamilton and 
Kemeys's " Still Hunt," which stand a little above them. Then the beautiful 
woods and rocky knolls and lake glimpses along the eastern side of the lower park 
begin; the bronze statue of Prof. S. B. Morse, the inventor of the electric tele- 
graph, attracts attention near the 72d st. entrance; Ward's historical statue of 
"The Pilgrim" (a gift from the New England society) is justly admired as the 
Lake is approached ; the Terrace and Mall fall under our eyes, and the ride ends 
at the familiar approach to the Scholar's Gate, — its starting point. 

The site of the Morningside Park of the future is an irregular, elongated piece 
of land, the southeastern corner of which begins about 500 ft. from the northwest- 
ern corner of Central Park at iioth st. It extends northward to 23d St., having an 
average breadth of about 600 ft., the total area being a little over 32 acres. It 
occupies high, rocky ground, and the battlemented wall and heavy staircases 
along its eastern side, overlooking the Harlem flats, are conspicuous from the 
trains of the Sixth Av. El. Ry., where they make the lofty turn from Ninth to 
Eighth av. at iioth st. It takes its name from the fact that it faces the east, and 
is undergoing improvements which by and by will make it a charming resort. 

The Boulevard, which has often been mentioned in these pages, and will 
become familiar to those who drive about the city, is a doubly broad street, fol- 
lowing the line of the old Bloomingdale Road, which starts at the termination of 
Broadway, at the southwest corner of Central Park, 59th' st. and Eighth av., and 
extends in a northerly and westerly direction, crossing Ninth av. at 64th st.. Tenth 
av. at 70th St., and then running between Tenth and West End avs. to io6th st, 
whence it continues to 155th st. in a finished state. It will ultimately extend to 
167th St. It is charmingly laid out with two wide road-beds, separated by small 



ii6 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 



parks of grass and trees in the center. At 125th st. the visitor may turn off to the 
east and take Seventh av. to Central av., or take St. Nicholas av., or by continu- 
ing northward along Eleventh av. strike King's Bridge Road near 170th st. Horse- 
cars run along a large part of the Boulevard ; and it is a driving route to Morning- 
side and Riverside parks. 

Riverside Park and Grant's Tomb. 

This new and beautiful park, or drive, lies along the high verge of the Hudson 
between 71st and 127th sts., and is reached by the Boulevard horse-cars, by the 
72d St. station of the Sixth Av. El. Ry. (half a mile walk) or, at its upper end, by the 
cable cars along 125th st. to Fort Lee ferry. It was the subject of an apprecia- 
tive and artistically illustrated article, by Wm. A. Stiles, editor of the popular 
horticultural journal, Garden and Forest, m T/ie Century, for October, 1885, from 
which the following remarks are condenst- d. 

" From 72d st. to the hollow known in the old maps as ' Marritje Davids' Fly,' 
at what is now 127th st. the river banks are bold, rising steeply at one point to 
the height of 150 ft. Down at the river level lies Twelfth av., while upon the 
high ground, Soo ft. inland, and parallel with the pier-line. Eleventh av. cuts its 
way square across the long series of side streets. . . . Between these two avenues, 
now approaching one and now the other, winds Riverside Drive, following mainly 
the brow of the bluff, but rising and falling in easy grades, curving about the 






^ 



m 




ON RIVERSIDE DRIVE. 



bolder projections, and everywhere adapting its course so graciously to the con- 
tour of the land that it does not look to have been laboriously laid out, but to have 
developed rather as a part of the natural order of things. The broad shelf against 
the sloping bank, formed by the associated ways, is supported on the lower side by 
a massive retaining wall, at some points nearly 40 ft. in height, and this rises above 



PARKS— RIVERSIDE DRIVE. T17 

the Drive in a low, heavy parapet which extends throughout its entire length, fitly 
crowning and completing the dignified structure. . . . The constant change of 
level and direction excludes any impression of sameness and at times the upward 
sweeping of the parapet curve produces a pleasant effect by its harmony with the 
sky-line or the tree-tops beyond. Even now, before its trees are grown, or its 
retaining wall mantled with vines, this road itself, as its gray stretches disappear 
behind some hill and beckon the visitor onward, delights the eye and kindles the 
imagination." 

Aline of statues will ultimately adorn this road, but at present the only one is a 
copy of Houdon's Washington, which stands opposite the block between 88th and 
89th sts., and was given by the school children of the city. 

" West of the wall a strip of land varying in width falls away to the water with a 
rapid inclination. In one of its wider portions, however, near 82d st., the granite 
basement of the island rises in a pair of abrupt hillocks above the road-level, burst- 
ing through its thin covering of turf here and there, and nurses in its crevices two 
or three stunted and picturesque honey locusts. Glimpses of the river and the Jer- 
sey shore beyond, caught between these hills, furnish pictures worth remembering, 
even among the many glorious prospects from the Drive. This strip of land is 
too narrow to afford any park-like range, and while nothing has been done to 
adapt it to the purposes of a pleasure-ground, it has unfortunately been hideously 
sacrificed to furnish filling to the railroad (N. Y. & Hudson River R. R.) and 
other impVovements. Descending from the Drive by stone steps to some points 
where it is accessible, as at io6th st., we find an open wood of fine trees, with 
grassy intervals extending for a long distance, as a sort of intermediate terrace, which 
drops suddenly to the river-level in a steep bank covered with wild trees, shrubs 
and vines. . . . 

" From the Drive the views of the river and the wood-crowned heights above are 
most characteristic. . . . From occasional high levels the eye has free range to 
the north or south along the bright waterway, and cover prospects of great extent 
and the most varied interest. The crowning view of the whole series is that from 
Claremont looking up the river. This is at the northern end of the park, where 
the grounds are widest, and where they reach their greatest elevation. . . . Here, 
half hidden in a grove, stood the historic mansion once occujiied by Lord 
Churchill, but the oaks and tulip trees which surrounded it are deader dying. . . . 
Below the bluff the Hudson still broadens out to hold the light of all the sky. The 
Palisades frown along the left, and seem to end in a bold promontory, around 
which the river flows from the mysterious distances beyond, while on the island 
side a rocky arm is thrust out from Washington Heights to protect the deep and 
quiet bay." 

This part of the park has kept the old local name of C/aretnont Heights, and 
here, overlooking a commanding prospect, and surrounded by quiet lawns, which 
keep at a reverential distance the " equipage and bravery of fashion," has been 
placed the Tomb of Gen. U. S. Grant, the first soldier of the restored Union. 
Here his body was interred after the impressive ceremonies of August 8, 1885. 
The structure over it is a temporary mausoleum of stone — plain and massive. 
The designs for a stately monumental structure to be erected on the spot have 
been approved by the committee having the matter in charge. Whether or not 



ii8 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

the proposed memorial be erected, " the spot will henceforth be invested with a 
national and historic interest which will lend a new consequence and dignity to 
the park," as it has already done in a marked degree. 

This tomb and the park near it are most expeditiously reached by the cable road. 
The group of buildings among the trees on the hilltop northward is the great 
Roman Catholic Convent of the Sacred Heart. All along Riverside av., which 
bounds the park inland, and extends northward to the Convent, in Manhattanville, 
elegant houses, surrounded by expensive lawns and flower gardens are rising ; and 
it is fair to suppose that this admirable region will become and permanently 
remain one of the finest and most fashionable residence portions of the metropolis. 
" The road itself — a cluster of ample ways for pleasure riding, driving and walk- 
ing, separated by strips of turf from which stately trees are to rise, and extending 
for three miles, — would have a dignity of its own wherever it might lead through 
the city. But its position overlooking the broad Hudson gives it an added impor 
tance and an individual character which are not repeated nor paralleled in any of 
the famous avenues of the world." 

Another similar park and drive is to be made along the river front of Washing- 
ton Heights, from 155th st. northward to Old Fort George. This will be instinct 
with historic associations. 

Harlem has its own little park in pretty Mt. Morris Scjiiare, which occupies 
about 20 acres and interrupts Fifth av., between 120th and 124th sts., by its rocky 
hill, which is over 100 ft. high, and crowned by an observatory. An examination of 
this relic of the original roughness of the land here gives one an idea of the labor 
expended in reducing to the present level the streets and building sites of this now 
flat and monotonous district. 



Parks and Drives North of the Harlem. 

Six new parks, in and near the annexed district north of the Harlem River, 
recently projected, are as follows : 

Van Cortlandt Park, — A new and large park containing 1069 acres, which is 
yet almost in its original condition of rocky woodland lake and stream, and is not 
open to the public. A station on the N. Y. & Northern R. R. will give ready 
access to it in the near future. 

Bronx Park lies along both sides of the Bronx River above West Farms and 
contains 856 acres. It is reached by the Harlem R. R. at Jerome Park station ; 
and it will be connected with Van Cortlandt Park by the Masholo Parkway, and 
with Pclham Park, along the coast of Long Island Sound, four miles eastward, by 
another Parkway. Crotona Park is a space of 135 acres between Morrisania and 
Tremont, also connected with Bronx Park by a drive. Claremoiit Park lies upon 



PARKS AND DRIVES NORTH OF THE HARLEM. 119 

the wooded ridge three-quarters of a mile east of High Bridge, and just west of 
Central Morrisania (Harlem R. R.) station; and St. Mary's Park is in the heart 
of Morrisania. There is also a little park surrounding the reservoir at the south- 
ern end of High Bridge, which overlooks the Harlem and a long prospect east- 
ward. 

Drives. — Though it is pleasant to wander almost anywhere along the winding 
roads north of the Harlem, east of the flats of Morrisania, some special " drives " 
have been prepared and are followed by those who have the carriages to use upon 
them. The Southern Boulevard starts from the north end of the Third av. bridge, 
and turning east follows the line of the Westchester shore of Long Island Sound, 
then curving around returns to the westward and joins Central av. at Jerome Park. 
It is wide, well kept, and commands at its southern end some fine views of the 
Sound. 

Ceutral A'deiiue begins at the north end of the Central Bridge, formerly called 
McComb's Dam Bridge. It is reached by Seventh av. at 155th st. It is a wide 
boulevard and the road-bed is kept in excellent condition. This is the fashionable 
drive of the city outside of Central Park, and every afternoon, and especially on 
Sunday, it is thronged with .splendid horses. The avenue extends to Jerome Park 
and thence to Yonkers. It is lined with road-houses, among the best known of 
which are " Gabe " Case's, "Judge" Smith's and Florence's. 

St. Nicholas Avenue. — This fine road was formerly Harlem Lane, and runs 
northwest from Central Park, alongside of the grounds of the Convent of the 
Sacred Heart, and thence to Fort Washington, where it joins the King's Bridge 
Road, which you may follow thence to King's Bridge across the Harlem, after 
which it runs into Broadway and extends to Yonkers. 



VIII. 
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, 

AND 

THE EGYPTIAN OBELISK. 



THE Metropolitan Museum of Art is on the eastern side of Central Park, oppo- 
site the entrance at 8ist St. It is half a mile from an elevated railway, but is 
reached directly by the Fifth av. stages. The Fourth (or Madison) av. horse-cars 
l^ass within one block; and the Park carriages go to the door. Admittance is 
free except on Monday and Tuesday, when 25 cents is charged. The museum is 
not yet opened on Sundays, although public sentiment demands it. 

The principal entrance is in the south front. Turn-stiles within the door admit 
and register visitors, and umbrellas, canes, overcoats or handbaggage may be 
checked and left at the desk, on payment of 5 cents. A series of handbooks, cost- 
ing ID cents each, may be bought, covering a few of the separate exhibits. 

"Unlike the great European art museums, the Metropolitan is a private institu- 
tion, receiving but a small sustenance from New York City. The Louvre, the 
British Museum, the art galleries of Dresden, Vienna, Naples, and Madrid, are 
national institutions, and some of them centuries old. But this is a corporation of 
individuals, who devote some of the benefits of their wealth in this way to the 
people ; and although the older part of the Museum was erected less than ten 
years ago, it stands unique in the world in its Cyprian antiquities, is second only 
to the British Museum in its Babylonian cylinders, leads all American collections in 
jjaintings and statues, and has recently acquired a series of mummy cases that can- 
not be matched anywhere. The total value of its possessions is about three mill- 
ion dollars, independent of the precious loan collections that swell its riches 
to half as much more. It would take twice that sum to duplicate the collections 
in value. 

" The original plan of the building jjrovided for an extension on the northern 
extremity, similar to that just finished on the southern, and the rapid accumula- 
tion of new objects by the munificence of art-lovers renders it likely that such a 
growth would be speedily occupied. The corporation in charge of the museum 
has for several years maintained an estimable art school in New York City. 
Arrangements are now in progress for the erection of a suitable building on the 
east side of the Museum for the Metropolitan School of Fine Arts, which will be 
in immediate connection with the Museum, having ready access to all its richness 



METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART. 




THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART. 



of art models in paint- 
ing, sculpture, carving, 
laces, etc. Here for a 
- moderate tuition, prom- 
ising pupils will be able 
to obtain an excellent 
art education, with facili- 
ties unequaled on this continent, under the instruction of such artists as cannot be 
found in America outside of New York City. 

" The museum proper is under the charge of General L. P. Di Cesnola, whose 
Cyprus collection was the first nucleus of its art riches. Professor Joseph A. 
Hall, the well-known expert upon antique art, is also attached to it, and a large 
corps of attendants and watchmen keep everything in perfect order. An intricate 
series of electric signals is now attached to every case, giving instant alarm when 
anything is disturbed, and insuring absolute safety." — Cosmopolitan Mag., 1888. 



firsi floor. 

Having passed the turn-stiles, you find yourself in the 

Hall of Casts of Ancient Sculpture, marked B on the accompanying dia- 
gram of the First Floor. Here are plaster casts of the most noted remains of 
ancient Greek, Roman, Assyrian and Egyptian sculpture, each one of which is 
labeled. Around the wall, at the top, beginning on the west (or left-hand side) of 
the entrance, are portions of the frieze from the temple of Apollo at Bassae, near 
Phigaleia in Arcadia, running entirely around the four sides of the room. Below 
the line of the windows is a series of sculptures taken from the wall-lining of the 
great hall of the palace of King Assur-nazir-apli of Assyria, in ancient Nineveh. 
This series is continued on the same (south) wall at the right of the entrance, 
where also are a slab representing a wounded lioness, taken from the palace of 



122 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY- 

King Assur-bani-apli (Sardanapalus I.), in a different quarter of ancient Nineveh; 
and friezes from his palace, hung on the opposite (north) wall. An interesting 
series of Asiatic Greek friezes occupies both walls at the western end of this main 
part of the hall. 

On the floor of the north and south extension of this hall, opening directly in 
front of the entrance, are busts of ancient sculpture, and on the wall south of the 
two columns, at the top, reliefs from the temple at Priene. Below the line of the 
windows, on the west wall, above, is a portion of the frieze from the Temple of 
Wingless Victory at Athens. Below this is a portion of the narrower frieze of the 
Nereid monument at Xanthus in Lycia; and on the east wall, a portion of the 
" chariot frieze" from Xanthus in Lycia. North of the two pillars, on both walls, 
are sculptured slabs from the wall of the grand hall of the palace of Assur-nazir- 
apli in Nineveh. Against the pier at the north end hangs an enamelled pottery 
relief of " The Assumption of the Virgin," by Luca della Robbia. 

On the west side of this portion of the hall a small alcove is devoted to a collec- 
tion of interesting and beautiful mediaeval and renaissance work in wrought 
iron. 

Leaving this Hall of Casts, the visitor may turn to the right (east) from the 
entrance, and enter C, the 

Hall of Egyptian Antiquities, which is on the Fifth av. side of the building. 
Two lines of floor-cases are first encountered, containing mummies and other 
Egyptian Antiquities, many of them from the royal sealed tomb at Gourmet- 
Mourrai discovered by Maspero in 1886, and all circumstantially labeled. 

" There are no kings here, but many nobles. The seventeen cases contain an 
incomparable cluster of wooden sarcophagi, all most richly carved and |)olished 
with colored lacquer and hieroglvphs, often within as well as outside, while the 
mummies that sleep in their double caskets amid winged scarabei and other sacred 
figures, are decorated as befits princes and princesses, lords and ladies, with bead 
embroideries, and papyrus scrolls from ' The Book of the Dead.' Several of the 
objects found with these royal Thebans, as the little paint-incrusted boxes, inclos- 
ing religious images, have never before been found complete; and the household 
implements illustrating the art and surroundings of the old Egyptians are particu- 
larly valuable. . . . This Egyptian room has been pronounced by visitors from 
the Louvre to be superior in its exhibits and in arrangement to the Paris 
repository of art." 

Beyond, down the center of the room, is a line of swinging frames containing 
embroideries, garments and other textile fabrics from Fayyum, in Egypt, and 
from 10 to 16 centuries old, which should be closely examined. The cases in the 
eastern half of the room, both on the floor and along the wall, are filled with 
heads and other fragments and objects of sculpture belonging to the great collec- 
tions made some years ago in the Island of Cyprus by General Di Cesnola. All 



ME TROPOLITA N MUSE UM OF ART. 1 23 

are arranged according to the style of art, from the Egyptian and Phoenician 
down to the Graeco-Roman. The marbles and serpentines of the same collection 
are in the wall-cases on the western side of the hall, beginning at the southwest 
corner. The greater part of this west line of wall-cases, however, is devoted to 
an extremely interesting and diversified collection of Egyptian antiquities of vari- 
ous periods in bronze, porcelain, ivory, wood, mummied animals, scarabs, etc. etc., 
and the exhibit extends into the next room, which is defined by square pillars. 

Around two of these piers are arranged clay lamps, each bearing an inscription 
or ornamental figures or both ; on the east wall-pier these are Cypriote, Greek 
and Roman, and on the east-central pier Greek and Roman — nearly all from the Di 
Cesnola collection. The next pier bears clay tablets and cylinders from the libra- 
ries of Assyria and Babylonia at the time of Nebuchadnezzar and other monarchs 
of the flourishing days of those empires. The inscriptions are in cuneiform char- 
acters and contain a great variety of legendary matter. On the lower part of this 
pier are choice specimens of Egyptian linen for mummy-wrapping, some with 
hieroglyphics and very ancient ; also examples of inscribed papyri. 

The room beyond the piers (F) is devoted to 

Ancient Terra Cottas. — These are mainly from the Di Cesnola collection, with 
a few from Ephesus and other regions, and are arranged according to the style of 
art from Phcenician down to Roman. Many of the pieces are unique in form, and 
the collection is regarded as one of unusual value. 

A door opens from this room to the Sotit/ieast Staircase (K), where ornitholo- 
ogists will look with pleasure on several of the original copper plates from which 
the folio illustrations of Audubon's " Birds of America " were printed ; while art 
lovers will linger over some old Italian frescoes and mosaics. Beyond this stair- 
case, and separated from it and the Terra Cotta room, is the eastern wing of the 
main hall of the building, called the 

Hall of Ancient Statuary (H). — The line of sarcophagi, which began in the 
Egyptian hall (C) is continued on across this hall, where several richly carved 
antique burial caskets of marble are to be seen ; the most notable of these is the 
last or northernmost one, and all bear descriptive labels. Against its piers on the 
west and center are sculptures and statues from the Di Cesnola collection, which 
show a close affinity to Assyrian styles. On the south, in the wall cases, and 
above them, are Cypriote, Phcenician, Greek and other inscriptions of various 
kinds and upon various objects ; on the east, funereal sculpture, all of the Di 
Cesnola collection. On the north, outside the cases, are the remnants of the 
bronze crabs which supported the Egyptian Obelisk as it stood at Alexandria; 
they are of Roman make, during the reign of Augustus, and are inscribed. In the 
cases on the north wall are ancient bronzes of great value, from the Di Cesnola col- 
lection ; and beyond them, near the north window, figured Persian tiles of antique 



124 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 




FIRST FLOOR. 

A Principal Entrance to the Museum. 

B Hall of Casts of Ancient Sculpture. 

B*^ Alcove of Work in Wrought Iron. 

C Hall of Ancient Sculpture and Egyptian Antiquities. 

D Hall of Glass, Laces, and Ancient Pottery. 

E Room of Carved Wood and Musical Instruments. 

F Room of Ancient Terra Cottas. 

G Hall of Architectural Casts. 

H Hall of Ancient Statuary, Inscriptions, and Bronzes. 

I Hall of Modern Sculptures. 

K Staircase. 



METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART. 



125 




SECOND FLOOR. 



L Gallery of Drawings by Old Masters, Etchings, Photographs, etc. 

M Alcove of Water Colors. 

N Gallery of Reproductions of old Gold and Silver Plate, etc. 

O Gallery of Paintings. 

P Gallery of American Antiquities. 

Q Gallery of Gems, Gold, Silver, Miniatures, etc. 

RS Galleries of the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection. 

T Gallery of Memorials of Washington, Franklin, and Lafayette. 

U Gallery of Paintings. 

V Gallery of Paintings. 

W Gallery of Oriental Porcelains, etc. 

X Gallery of Paintings. 

Y Gallery of Old Masters. 
2, Gallery of Oriental Art. 



126 GUIDE TO NEW YORK' CITY. 

manufacture will attract attention, and may be mistaken by some, at first glance, 
for Chinese work. At this northeast corner of the room is a staircase to be 
spoken of later. At present let us pass through the arches westward into the sky- 
lighted " grand hall " of the Museum, marked " G," and known as the 

Hall of Architectural Casts. — We are confronted at once by three very large 
and brilliant paintings, hung high enough to give the distance requisite to their 
proper contemplation. The center one is " Diana's Hunting Party," by Hans 
Makart ; on the left is " Peace," by L. Knaus ; and on the right " Victory," by G. 
Richter. The tapestries on the east wall are by Fargand de Lavergne and are 
dated 1788. Two broad galleries (W and Z) cross the hall at the height of the 
second story, and their faces bear casts of sculptured friezes from ancietit temples. 

At the corners of the gallery are four casts of metopes from the Parthenon at 
Athens. On the north face of the gallery, and continuing through the eastern 
half of the south face, casts from the frieze of the cella of the Parthenon, so 
arranged that the center of the eastern frieze of the Parthenon is at the center of 
the north face of the gallery, and the whole corresponds as nearly as possible in 
position to the original if stretched out in line from this center. The remaining 
casts on the south face of the gallery are, beginning at the west : portions of the 
frieze of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, of the balustrade from the Temple of 
Wingless Victory at Athens, and the archaic representation of a woman mounting 
a chariot, at Athens. The floor is occupied by large casts of architectural details 
from Greek temples and from European and Oriental churches, which are of 
great assistance to the students of design and to architects. A large number of 
new architectural casts will be added during the coming year, including a reduced 
copy of the fagade of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, in Paris, and many examples 
of the elevation and ornamentation of ancient classical buildings. 

This " grand hall " opens by a passage, to the Entrance, and on the west is 
separated only by piers supporting the roof from Room I, the 

Hall of Modern Statuary. — Here are arranged in a good light some fifty 
marble statues, busts, bronzes, and statuettes, many of which belong to the 
museum, while others have been loaned by their public-spirited owners. They are 
numbered and a catalogue may be bought. Among the more noticeable are : 

IV. Original mask of Washington, taken after death in 1799. 

VI. Terra Cotta bust of Charles Darwin, the evolutionist. By Etcheler. 

VIII. Reduced copy of the Apollo Belvedere. The original is in the Vatican, 
at Rome, and is an antique copied from a Greek statue of the 3d century, B. C. 

IX. Water-boy of Pompeii. By F. E. Elwell. 

XII. California. By Hiram Powers. 

XIII. Andrew Jackson. By Hiram Powers. 
XX. Alexander I., Czar of Russia. 

XIII. Medea meditating the Murder of her Children. By W. W. Story. 1868. 
Medea is said to have been deserted by her husband Jason (hero of the Golden 
Fleece) and to have killed their children in revenge. 



ME TROPOLITAN MUSE UM OF ART. 1 27 

XXV. Semiramis. By W. W. Story. She was a queen of Assyria (perhaps only 
fabled to be so) and was honored as the founder of Babylon. Dated 1873. 

XXVII. Cleopatra. By W. W. Story. 1869. 

XXVIII. Rizpah, defending the Bodies of her Sons. By J. Mozier. 1869. 
XXXVI. Wm. Cullen Bryant. Bust by Launt Thompson. 1867. Owned by 

the city. 

XXXVIII. Sir Walter Scott. By Henry Westmacott. Property of the St. 
Andrew Society. 

XXXIX. The Poe Memorial. By R. H. Park. Presented to the Museum by 
the actors of New York. 

XLIII. Equestrian Washington. By Marochetti. 
XLV. Eve finding the body of Abel. By J. A. Jackson. 
XLVI. Benjamin Franklin. By Houdon, 1778. 
XLVI. Polyzena, Daughter of Priam. By W. W. Story. 
XLVIII. Henry Clay. By Cleovenger. 

L. The Flight from Pompeii. By G. M. Benoni. They- are trying to protect 
themselves from the thickly falling ashes. 

LII. Thetis and her Son, Achilles. By P. F. Connelly. 1874. 
LIII. Napoleon. By Antonio Canova — a sculptor who died in 1822. 
EIV. Ganymede, the cup-bearer of Zeus. By C. Voss. 

Leaving this hall (whose windows look out upon the Obelisk and Eastern Drive) 
by the door at the southeast corner, we cross first the stairway into the room 
marked " E," which is devoted to 

Carved Wood and Musical Instruments. — The specimens of wood-carving 
here represent not only intricate designs and figures, but elaborate inlaying. Ori- 
ental antique, European, and aboriginal. Standing outside the cases are a finely 
carved clock of English work, dated 1640 ; a valuable cabinet inlaid with Oriental 
porcelains ; and a most elegant case of drawers and shelves, or buffet, made of 
American woods, which received a gold medal at the Centennial Exhibition of 
1876, and was mentioned in the committee's report as the finest piece of wood- 
carving and designing in the exhibition. The musical instruments fill as many cases 
as the room will hold, and are in great variety, savage and civilized They belong 
to the bequest of the late Joseph W. Drexel, and to the larger collection of Mrs. 
Crosby Brown, author of a well-known book upon the subject. The old-fashioned, 
small-sized, but beautifully finished pianos, will attract attention. The Italian 
mandolins form another beautiful series. Visitors will linger curiously over the 
extraordinary stringed instruments, of the guitar and violin types from Turkey, 
Persia, India and China, and some strange forms from Japan. All these are 
fully labelled and need not be specifically described. The drums shown take on 
some quaint forms, especially in India and China, where their use enters largely 
into the Buddhistic ceremonial. From Africa are a list of strange and very rude 
instruments, — several of strips of wood, mounted upon resonant gourds and 
intended to be hammered like a xylophone. Our American Indians contribute 



128 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

rattles and flutes in great variety. Hardly less rough and curious than these are 
obsolete instruments played in mediaeval Europe, such as the " nail violin."' 

Beyond this room, and occupying the southwest corner of the museum marked 
" D," is the great 

Hall of Glass, Laces and Ancient Pottery. — Standards with swinging 
leaves,, in a line down the center of the hall, contain hundreds of rare and exquis- 
ite examples of laces, which were collected by Mesdames Astor, McCallum and 
Stuart, and which "cost a fortune." 

"The Astor laces are European — coming from Italy, and France and Belgium. 
A full display of them is made now for the first time. They were prepared and 
placed on frames in the museum by Mrs. Carter, one of the most expert workers 
in laces in this country. This display is arranged in a series of revolving stands, 
on which the frames are set, to be opened like the leaves of a book. Each of 
these frames or leaves presents a background of satin, of the color best adapted 
to bring out the intricacy of the delicate patterns. A glass covers the lace, which 
is so arranged that artists can copy the patterns by placing above them on the 
glass the tracing paper on which the outlines are to be marked. The arrange- 
ment of these laces was a work of the most painstaking character, and only a few 
hours daily could be devoted to it. The figures all had to be laid out smoothly on 
the frames, each figure examined and any break repaired. The threads are of 
linen, of almost cobweb texture. There are scores of pieces, lace handkerchiefs, 
collars, dress flounces several yards in length, that could be rolled up and con- 
cealed in the palm of the hand ; a single piece of some of these specimens could 
not be duplicated for one thousand dollars. It was stated by Mr. Astor that Mrs. 
Astor expended upward of fifty thousand dollars in the purchase of her collection. 
The McCallum collection of laces, which was given to the museum several years 
ago, has many pieces quite as fine and delicate as the Astor laces. This collec- 
tion is mounted in the same manner as the Astor laces. With them is still another 
collection of laces which recently came to the museum, and which will be a great 
surprise to all ladies.and every one interested in laces. In value, beauty, variety 
and artistic merit, this collection is only second, if it is second, to that of Mrs. 
Astor. It is the gift of Mrs. Robert L. Stuart, and the laces are chiefly Oriental, 
from India and Turkey." — Cosmopolitan. 

The piers between this hall and Room E hold small specimens of pottery 
mainly from the Cypriote collection of Di Cesnola ; and in the wall-cases on the 
west and south, with the western cases on the floor, is pottery from the same 
source, with a few other pieces, arranged generally according to age and simi- 
larity of style in art, from the Phoenician down to the Graeco-Roman. The 
Athenian and Corinthian pieces, however, are at the southeast corner; and next 
to them, on the wall-pier, a collection of dark-colored Etruscan vases found in 
tombs near Turin, Italy. Against the walls, above the cases, hang amphoras, 
principally Rhodian, with the stamp of the eponym and the name of the Doric 
month, and other stamps and emblems, presenting a unique and very valuable 
series. 



METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART. 129 

" High upon the walls may be seen the valued Rhodian vases that, previous to 
the Cyprus excavations, were known only by fragments. They were sent from 
Rhodes to Cyprus during the Roman Empire, each bearing on the handles the 
name of the Emperor who then reigned, containing wines, oils, and other fine mer-- 
chandise. No two are alike, and none like them can be seen elsewhere, except one 
that went to Europe from this group." 

The opposite (eastern) side of the room is devoted to an exhibition of ancient 
glassware about which the visitor will be likely to spend as long a time as possi- 
ble. In the cases along the wall he will discover Egyptian, Phoenician, Greek and 
Roman glass from the Di-Cesnola collection; in the cases on the floor, eastern line, 
the two Marquand collections of Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Venetian, Florentine, 
etc., pieces, together with the Jarves collection. " Some of the ancient specimens, 
glorified by their entombment, are glowing sunsets of gold, purple and ruby, 
marvels of iridescence such as only the oxidizing touch of centuries can produce." 
It is believed that no exhibition of ancient glass anywhere in the world is equal 
to this one. 

We have now come around again to the entrance hall, and therefore have com- 
pleted the survey of the first floor. Let us now cross to the Nortlieast Stairway, 
in the Hall of Ancient Statuary, and ascend to the second floor where the galler- 
ies of paintings, the Oriental porcelains, etc., are arranged. 

Second Floor. 

The Northeast Staircase contains several works by masters of the old Flem- 
ish school, and a " Holy Family" by Rubens, which hangs excellently at the head 
of the stairway. The landing admits us, at the right, into Room Y — the 

Gallery of Old Masters. — On the eastern wall hang paintings illustrating the 
Dutch and Flemish styles of two to three hundred years ago by David Teniers, the 
elder (Nos. 59 and 94), and David Teniers, the younger fNo. 57), son of the 
former and author of the "Teniers Gallery." 

The younger Teniers was born at Antwerp, i6ro; died in Brussels, 1694. He 
was taught by his father and adopted his style, and became court-painter to the 
Archduke Leopold William, Governor of the Spanish Netherlands. " As a 
painter of guard rooms, fairs, beer houses and other interiors he has never been 
excelled. While he was in charge of the gallery of the Archduke he made copies 
of many of the most admirable pictures in the collection, and so successful was he 
in imitating the particular style of each master that he was called the Proteiis of 
Painting. The pictures so copied by him were engraved in Theatrtim Pictoriae 
Davidis Tenierz, etc., 1660, commonly known as the Teniers Gallery. The orig- 
inal pictures were removed to Vienna in 1657, and are now in the Belvedere Gal- 
lery. The copies, 120 in number, were brought to England, and for many years 
were an interesting feature of the art collections at Blenheim They were sold by 
the Duke of Marlborough at Christie's, June 28, 1886." 



130 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY, 

Pictures are also to be seen here by Metsys Quentin, Jan Steen (66), Anton Van 
Dyck — a pupil of Rubens, and represented by the "St. Martha," (No. 78), Van 
Hugtenburg, Ruysdael the landscapist o[ Harlem (died 1681), the two Hals, and 
several others of that ilk; also portraits of Washington and of John Jay, by Gil- 
bert Stuart, and some old Italian pictures. The north wall holds portraits by 
Rubens, Franz Hals and Van der Heist, and a fruitpiece by Velasquez, among 
other old pictures of less note. 

Peter Paul Rubens was born in Westphalia in 1577, and died at Antwerp in 
1640. He studied with Vandeen in Antwerp, and in 1608 was appointed court- 
painter to the governor of the Netherlands. He was engaged in several political 
missions to Spain and to England, where he was knighted by Charles I. He 
died full of honors and wealth. His pictures are said to amount to several thou- 
.sand, but many of them were executed after his designs by his scholars, Van Dyck, 
Van Thulden, Jordaens, Snyders, and others. 

Franz Hals was a Hollander who lived between 1584 and 1666. He was a 
jovial fellow, and his pictures are mainly of peasant festivities and pot-house 
scenes. Van der Heist was a contemporary of these ; as, also, was Velasquez, the 
.Spaniard, who was born at Seville in 1599, of noble parentage. His portrait is 
No. 39 in gallery O. In 1623 he was made court-painter at Madrid, and had 
other titles given him. He spent some time in Italy but was little influenced in 
the style of his portraits and scenes of real life, which are unsurpassed by any of 
his day or perhaps of this. 

The partition wall is largely occupied by Joshua Reynolds's great canvas con- 
taining three full length portraits of Inigo Jones, Henry Fane and Charles Blair. 

Reynolds lived in England from 1723 to 1792. He studied with Hudson in 
London and afterwards in Italy. He was a founder and the first president of the 
Royal Academy, and was knighted in consequence. He was the greatest portrait 
painter of England, and had many friends among the eminent literary men of his 
(lav as well as among those socially prominent ; while he himself wrote many essays 
and several valuable books. 

The portrait of Alexander Hamilton by Trumbull, and a head by Greuze are the 
most notable pictures at the south end of the room. 

The adjoining side-room, X, forms a 

Gallery of Modern Paintings. — The whole northern wall is occupied here 
by an immense canvas depicting the appearance of Christopher Columbus before 
the Court of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain to argue in favor of his proposed 
voyage in search of a new continent. The figures are life-size and the scene is 
powerful and animated. The artist is V. Brozik, of Paris. 

On the partition wall, beginning at that end, hang "Brittany Washerwomen," 
(9) by Jules Breton ; " The First Kiss of the Sun " (on the pyramids J, by Gerome 
(11); landscapes by Clausen (13), Corot (15), Daubigny (14 and 25), Rousseau 
(19) and Cazin (24); figure pieces by Delacroix (No. 21— the centerpiece on that 



METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART. 131 

side), Ley (18), Fromentin (22); a hunting scene of wonderful life and color, by 
Isabey (30) ; and a marine by Jules Dupre. 

On the southern end hang a characteristic landscape by Uiaz (No. 39 — " Rocks 
in the Forest of Fontainebleau"), a picture of sheep, by N. Jacque (38], a marine 
sketch by Dupre (37) and F. D. Millet's charming figure-sketch named " Confi- 
dences." 

The western side-wall contains landscapes by Cazin (43), Diaz (45), Troyon 
(54 and 64), C. Jacque (57), Dupre (51 and 58), Corot ("Dance of Nymphs," 70, 
and two other small landscapes, 75 and 76) ; a village scene by Daubigny (79), 
and a characteristic Rousseau landscape (83). On this wall are also figure sub- 
jects painted by such well-known men as De Neuville, the French war artist (46), 
Bougereau (48), L'Hevmittee (50), J. P. Laurens (60), A. D. Schreyer (66 — the 
oft-copied " Wallachian Post-cart" with four galloping horses), Jno. F. Wier (71), 
Geo. H, Boughton (62 and 74), F. A. Bridgman (78) and Ruybet (80). The sim- 
ple list of names of the artists represented in this room, from Corot and Delacroix 
downward, is enough to stamp the collection as one of extraordinary merit ; and 
many more examples of the work of most of these painters may be seen and com- 
pared in the " Western " and " Wolfe " galleries hereafter to be mentioned. 

Next southward is the room designated P, and devoted to a 

Gallery of American Antiquities. — This will be more attractive to special 
students than to the casual observer. In the table-cases is arranged a collection 
of antique and comparatively modern idols and fetishes used by the aborigines of 
New Mexico. This collection is unique. In the wall-cases are collections of 
Mound-Builder, Mexican, Peruvian, Central American, etc., antiquities, of great 
variety, interest and value. Three of the silver pieces were carried from Peru to 
Spain by a soldier under Pizarro. 

Beyond this room come two galleries, O and N, the former of which, first to 
be examined, is entitled the 

New Eastern Gallery of Paintings by the Old Masters, and of the English 
School, presented to the museum by Henry G. Marquand. A catalogue of this 
room with biographical and other information, is issued by the museum, and costs 
ten cents. You enter at the northern end, where hang two grand portraits by 
Rembrandt (Nos. i and 2), one of Van Beeresteyn, Burgomaster of Delft, and the 
other of his wife, painted in 1632. 

Harnenzoon Rembrandt van Ryn, was born at Leyden in 1607, and died at 
Amsterdam in 1669. lie spent most of his life at Amsterdam, was twice married, 
but was always in financial difficulties. " His fame as an etcher almost equals 
his fame as a painter. For strength, truth, handling, and chiaroscuro he has 
never been surpassed." He is represented in these galleries by, several pictures. 
The two ]3ortraits above noted were offered at a sale of the effects of the Beere- 
steyn family in 1884, and their authorship was discovered by two amateurs only a 



132 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 



few hours in advance of the auction. Greatly to the surprise of the owners the 
bidding was so spirited for these two pictures that their suspicions were awakened, 
and one of them entering the contest carried them off at the price of 75,000 florins, 
about $30,000. Their present owner is Mr. H. O. Havemeyer, and they form the 
only exceptions in the room to the Marquand collection. 

Along the east wall are hung a portrait by Jurian Ovens (No. 3), dated 1650; a 
portrait by Antony Van Dyck (5), a pupil of Rubens, who became painter to 
Charles I., and died with wealth and honors in 1641 ; "Christ before Pilate" (6), 
by Lucas Van L.eyden, in water colors on canvas ; a landscape (7) by Ruysdael ; 
a portrait (8) of the eldest son of Philip IV. of Spain, by Velasquez ; another por- 
trait {9) and "The Adoration of the Shepherds" (10) by Rembrandt; Gainsbor- 
ough's " Girl with a Cat " (11) ; Turner's " Sattash," with the River Tamar in the 
foreground (12) ; Sir Joshua Reynolds' portrait of Lady Carew {13) and Rubens's 
" Pyramus and Thisbe " (15), at the moment when Thisbe, discovering her lover 
dead, attempts to take her own life, and Cupid hastens away, horrified by the 
sight. 

At the south end of the room are the following: Portrait (16) by Rubens; "A 
Lock on the Stone" (17), by John Constable; portrait of James Stuart, Duke of 
Richmond, by Van Uyck, "The Valley Farm " (19), a scene on the Stowe, Eng- 
land, which was a favorite subject with Constable; and a portrait of Queen 
Mariana of Austria (20) by Velasquez. 

On the western, or partition wall, hangs a portrait-subject by Van Hoogstraaten 
(4); portraits (21) and " The Smoker" (30) by Franz Hals; a portrait (22) by C 
Jansen ; " Hautbois Common" (23) by John Crome ; a Florentine interior (24) 
by Massaccio ; a portrait (25) by Terburg; "Christ presented to the People" (26) 
by Van Leyden (see below); a landscape (27) copied by Teniers, Jr., after Bas- 
sano; "Virgin and Child" (28) by Jan Van Eyck — the oldest painting in the 
room; a casement scene (29) by Van der Meer. "The Card Party" (31) by Net- 
scher; "The Good Samaritan" (32) copy by Teniers, Jr., after P>assano ; "A 
Kitchen in Holland " (33) by Zorg, a landscape (34) by Teniers, Jr.; "Assump- 
tion of the Virgin " (35) by Prud'hon — an original sketch for the picture in the 
Louvre, and formerly in the collection of Wm. M. Hunt, a sea-coast (36) by Bon- 
nington ; and a portrait of himself (39) by Velasquez. 

The artists in this list of old masters, not heretofore mentioned are the follow- 
ing : Lucas Van Leyden, 1494-1533. He lived at Levden, and began to etch when 
a mere child. He was a close friend of Albert Durer, whoin he equalled in 
engraving upon copper, while his paintings exhibited a wide range of subjects and ■ 
great excellence. The picture " Christ Presented to the People," by which he is 
represented here, was formerly in the possession of Baron Carondelet, Spanish 
Governor of Louisiana, and is probably the original of the picture of the same 
name in the Belvedere gallery, in Vienna. Turner (Joseph M. W.) is universally 
known through his water colors and by reason of Ruskin's advocacy. He died in 



METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART. 133 

1851. Gainsborough was a distinguished member of the English Royal Academy 
who died in 178S, and is most admired for his portrait of the beautiful Uuchess of 
Devonshire, wearing the broad-feathered hat since called a "Gainsborough." 
John Constable was an English landscapist living between 1770 and 1837 ; and 
Richard P. Bonnington, another young English painter of great promise, who stud- 
ied in Paris and Italy, but died in 182S, only 27 years old. "Old " John Crome 
was also an Englishman (1769-1821) who spent his life and painted all his land- 
scapes near Norwich, and founded the Society of Artists of that town. Jan Van 
Eyck is, together with his older brother Hubert, distinguished as the inventor of 
oil painting; he lived at Ghent and Bruges from 1390 to 1440. Hoogstraaten was 
a pupil of his father, Theodore, and afterwards of Rembrandt, whose style he 
adopted. Cornelms Jansen was another Dutch artist of that era and was patro- 
nized by Kmg James I., the poet Milton and other noted Englishmen of his time. 
Tommaso Guidi Masaccio, a young Italian of note, died in Rome about 1428. Jan 
Van der Meer, called "of Delft," lived in Holland in the latter half of the 15th 
century, and his pictures are scarce Gaspar Netscher was a German, but followed 
the Dutch School of Art, and passed most of his life at The Hague, where he died 
in 1684 Jurian Ovens was a contemporary and a student of Rembrandt, whose 
style he e.xemplified in night scenes and portraits. Henry Martin Rokes Zorg 
lived at the same time, but studied with Teniers, the younger; and Terburg was 
another Dutch painter of that day, distinguished for his small portraits and con- 
versation scenes. 

The adjoining room, at the side of this picture gallery is " N," and it contains 
the collection of 

Reproductions of Gold and Silver Plate.— These glittering reproductions of 
remarkable e.xamples of the goldsmith's and silversmith's art, are derived from 
various European collections, but principally from St. Petersburg. They fill cases 
all around the room, and comprise not only all sorts of "plate" (i. e. table-ware), 
but also candelabra, mirror-frames, small tables, tankards, samovars, urns, censers, 
lamps, handles of weapons, and a great variety of other objects of utility or orna- 
ment to which the precious metals have been applied in times past ; and all are 
burnished to a precise resemblance to the real originals. Each specimen bears a 
descriptive label. 

From the southern end of this room we turn to the right through an archway 
opening into the long southern 

Gallery [L] of Drawings by Old Masters, Etchings, Etc. — The Museum's 
Handbook No. 8 (price 10 cents) gives a complete catalogue of this collection, 
which (with the water colors) contains nearly 1000 pieces. 

" This collection of drawings is composed of two portions ; the first. Numbers i 
to 670, was begun in the latter part of the last century by Count Maggiori, of 
Bologna, a learned scholar and connoisseur, and a member of the Academy ot 
Sciences in that city. It has gradually been increased by additions from the cele- 
brated collections of Signor Marietta, Professor Angelini, Doctor Guastalla and 
Mr. James Jackson Jarves, our Vice-Consul at Florence. In 1880, it was purchased 
from the latter gentleman and generously presented to the Museum by Mr. Corne- 



134 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 



]ius Vandcrbilt, one of its trustees. The other portion, Numbers 671 to 851, was 
collected by ^Ir. Cephas G. Thompson, who generously presented it to the 
Museum in 1887. Tlie attributions of authorship are by former owners. In many 
instances the drawings bear the artist's own signature, sometimes with the presen- 
tation to a friend." — Handbook. 

Among those of most popular interest are drawings by Raphael (Nos. 44, 58, 
727, 734, 739) and by Michael Angelo (92, 129, 136, 590, 591, 595, 599, 600), together 
with many of the schools of these great men. Here may be seen, also, drawings 
by Andrea del Sarto (104, 106, no, in, 116, n;, nS, 133); "Paul Veronese" 
(373> 375' 376' 1)1^'> 380.833, 690, 698,763, 767); Canova (671-7); "Claude Lor- 
raine" (546-555, 836) ; Corregio (215, 217,230,232,759, 771,781); Albert Durer 
(479,483); Leonardo da Vinci (186, 187); Murillo (488-90, 493, 494); Salvator 
Rosa (94, 98, 341-362, 807); Rubens (465, 466, 468, 471); Rembrandt (445, 446, 
448, 450-4) ; " Tintoretto," (412-427, 785) 5 '^''tian 374, 3S7-9, 391-3, 395, 397, 401, 
403, 813); Watteau (522, 524, 525, 526); besides those of many other men of 
almost equal fame and by a host of their pupils, especially among Italians. 

The Water Colors (Alcove M), embrace 71 sketches of scenery, chiefly 
along the New England coast and in the White Mts., by Wm. T. Richards, who 
made them for the Rev. E. L. Magoon, D.D., by whom they were presented to 
the Museum. All were painted since 1870. In the same alcove are a few water 
color drawings by J. W. Hill and etchings from Rembrandt. The center of the 
main room is occupied by standards with swinging leaves containing drawings by- 
Old Masters, photographs from the Torlonia Museum, Rome, and medals struck 
under Napoleon I. There is also, in this room, a large collection of etchings by 
Seymour Haden, J. A. M. Whistler, Charles Jacque, J. M. W. Turner and other 
masters of the art, some of which are extraordinary. The case-exhibit of Oriental 
and European decorations, etc., which stands in the water-color alcove, should not 
be overlooked. 

The western end of this gallery opens directly into the rooms where Miss 
Wolfe's gift of pictures are stored; but neglecting them for the moment, let us 
pass through, to the left, into the room " Q " called the 

Gallery of Gems, Etc. — This is in the southwest corner of the building ; and 
of its rich and diversified treasures the following account is furnished by the 
Museum authorities : 

" In the wall cases of this gallery on the south side are the objects in gold, silver 
and precious stones of the Cesnola collection, with a few others collected in Baby- 
lonia, etc. On the west, the Johnston-King collection of ancient gems, collections 
of antique watches, gold and silver snuff-boxes, etc. On the north, a series of gold 
and silver coins extending from Philip and Alexander of Macedon, down through 
the Roman empire to the Arabic and Persian sovereigns; Egyptian scarabaei in 
rich (modern) mountings; inscribed seal cylinders, seals, weights, etc., Assyrian, 
Babylonian and Cypriote ; antique and renaissance spoons in silver; on the east, 
continuation of the collection of spoons, and the Moses Lazarus collection of 
miniatures, boxes, and other rich and valuable objects. In the four corner cases, 
northeast, the Bryant Vase and other objects; southeast, silver objects from the 
Cesnola collectioi'i; southwest, two Sevres Vases, formerly the property of Louis 
XVI. of France ; northwest, various objects from the Demidoff collection. In 
the center, eight cases containing the Maxwell Sommerville collection of gems, 



METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART. 13^ 

one of the largest and most superb known ; arranged by its collector, Mr. Sonimer- 
viUe, who loans it to the Museum. On the wall above the cases, north side : a 
suite of P>ench bed-hangings, 15th century, silk, embroidered with gold and colors- 
after a Persian design; a brocade, Louis XIII. (northeast corner) ; an embroidered 
altar-front, Louis XIV., representing a martyrdom (northwest corner); and 
(center) a large old Portuguese tapestry representing a sacrifice of the Greeks 
before Troy, and the omen of the birds devoured by a serpent. East side : a 
Daghestan rug, last century; a rich Persian carpet and three Persian rugs, all of 
the i6th century. South side, beginning with the east end : a Louis XIII. embroi- 
dery ; a long piece of Persian embroidery in colors, etc., on Genoese velvet ; a 
\ery rare and valuable altar-cover of old Venetian leather, 15th century, beauti- 
fully tooled and colored (framed) ; a Gobelin tapestry of the best period, repre- 
senting a scene from Tasso's "Jerusalem Delivered"; signed " Nouzou, 1735"' 
(from the Hamilton Palace) ; a Castilian coat of arms, old Cordova leather 
(framed) ; a beautiful piece of silver-embroidery on silk, style Louis XIV., which 
came from Versailles, 1500; and a i6th century Persian divan hanging. West 
side: a rug of Turkish work, present century; an antique Persian rug, 16th cent- 
ury; a magnificent Persian rug of the early part of the i6th century, with inscrip- 
tions and figures of animals, obtained from the treasures of the Sultan Aziz after 
his death ; an antique Persian rug with figures of animals, of the i6th century ; and 
a very ancient embroidery on Genoa stuff, with double fringes." 

We are now at liberty to return and study the galleries of modern paintings^ 
which begin with those nearest us, marked R and S, devoted to the 

Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Collection. — This consists of the fine and numer- 
ous pictures bequeathed by the lady after whom the galleries were named, and 
whose benefices elsewhere in the city were large and judicious. The portrait of 
this gracious lady hangs at the southern end of the room S, and is numbered 
" r." 

Miss Wolfe is descended from a family of Saxon blood. Her great grandfather 
came to New York in 1729. and his sons acquired large property which constantly^ 
increased in value, and rendered to the grandchildren great wealth. This was- 
always bestowed with noble generosity, esjjecially in forwarding the work of the 
Episcopal Church. John David Wolfe, the father of Catherine Lorillard, and 
one of the founders of the Am. Museum of Natural History, was conspicuous for 
his gifts to public institutions of charity and education. He died in 1872, and his- 
daughter succeeded to his wealth and to his generous disposition. 

Miss Wolfe was endowed with a mind of remarkable power, cultivated by edu- 
cation, reading and extended travel. Her biographv cannot be written here. She 
devoted herself and her large and largely increasing wealth to the widest and most 
effective charity. . . . There is not space to enumerate half of her recorded gifts, 
in sums varying from twenty to two hundred thousand dollars. . . . Nor did she,, 
while devoting so much of her life to good works, fail in any degree to fulfil the 
duties of that position in the social world to which she was called by her wealth 
and her accomplishments. She recognized those duties, and i^erformed them with 
grace and dignity as the accomplished hostess in her own house, and the always- 
welcome guest in others. Those who knew her best admired and loved her most- 

" She had from early life cultivated her affection for the fine arts, and before 
her father's death had purchased several jiaintings which are in the present cata- 



336 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

logue. Her taste was excellent, and her judgment strengthened by study and very 
thorough acquaintance with the works of old and modern artists. She had there- 
fore, great enjoyment in gathering around her, in her city residence, examples of 
znasters in the modern schools." 

Miss Wolfe had a constant interest in the Metropolitan Museum of Art to whose 
collections she had been a large contributor, and of which she was one of the 
patrons, and in her will (which disposed of more than a million dollars), she not 
■only 2;ave to the Museum her collection of paintings, but added an endowment of 
$200,000, the income to be used for the preservation and increase of the collection. 

It is impossible in the limited space at command in this Guide to do more than 
mention some of the more striking of the 150 or more pictures included. A com- 
plete catalogue may be bought at the door for 10 cents by those who wish fuller 
information. The names of the painters represented include Alex. Cabanel, Sir 
Frederick Leighton, Rosa Bonheur, Jules Dupre, Leon Bonat, Munkacsy, Vibert, 
Troyon, Kaulbach, Daubigny, Diaz, Gerome, Hans Makart, Rousseau, Corot, 
Meissoiner, Breton, Bougereau, Koek-Koek, Detaille, Vernet, Knaus, Leloir, 
Dore, Richards, Fortuny, Bida, Boughton and many more of less wide repute. 
In respect to certain ones a few notes may be helpful. 

No. I. Portrait of Miss Wolfe (south end of Room R). 

No. 9. " A Limier-Briquet Hound," by Rosa Bonheur'; painted in 1877. 

No. ID. " The Hay Wagon," by Jules Dupre ; 1876. 

No. 18. " A Pawnbroker's Shop," by Milhaly Munkacsy; painted to order, 1874. 

No. 22. " Holland Cattle," by Constant Troyon. 

No. 28. " Crusaders before Jerusalem," by William Kaulbach. The motive of 
rthis large canvas is the universal triumph of Christianity. Jerusalem, the goal of 
all crusaders, lies in the distance. " Somewhat removed, some crusaders contem- 
plate the city from a hill-top, a group of eminent knights, ecclesiastics, bishops and 
crusade preachers ; on another hill to the right can be seen the army of crusaders 
• commanded by Godfrey of Bouillon, who holds uplifted in both hands, a crown, 
-symbol of the divine right of the Kings of Jerusalem; near him are lioemond and 
Tancredi, soldiers who had distinguished themselves in the memorable battles the 
•crusaders fought with the Saracens. The ground is covered with the enemy's 
dead. On the foreground in the middle, are Peter of Amiens on his knees, with 
^eyes turned towards the Holy City and offering to God prayers of thanksgiving. 
Behind him a group of penitents lying on the ground or scourging themselves ; 
above, borne on clouds, is seen the divine apparition of the Redeemer accom- 
panied by the Holy Virgin and surrounded by the Saints and Martyrs. Godfrey 
•of Bouillon bearing on his head a crown of thorns, offers the crown of the Holy 
Land to the Saviour, the real King of Jerusalem. Near Peter of Amiens is a 
group of fervent psalmists of the Christian faith, followed by the Knights in mag- 
nificent armor. The Troubadour of the middle ages, so closely associated with 
the romances of the Crusaders, here also finds his place. The beautiful Armida, 
•borne seated on a litter dra]3ed with laurel branches, is carried by Moors, while 
her Knight, Rinaldo, leads the way to the city, as pious, and beautiful, she lifts 
.her gaze to the heavenly apparition." 

No. 38. Objects of Art, painted by Blaize Desgoffe. These artistic antiquities 
.are deposited in tlie Louvre, Paris, and were selected by Miss Wolfe; among 



METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART. 137- 

them are the poignard of Phillippe II., a collarette of Louis XIII., and various-- 
vases, etc., of the i6th century. 

No. 39. " On the Seine — Morning," by Chas. F. Daubigny, 187 1. 

No. 43. " Study of Trees," by Narcisse Diaz. 

No. 48. " Prayer in a Mosque ; old Cairo," by J. L. E. Gerome. 

No. 49. " The Dream after the Ball," by Hans Makart, painter of the large 
canvas " Diana's Hunting Party " in the main hall on the ground floor. 

No. 53. " River Landscape," by Theo. Rousseau. 

No. 55. " Edge of a Forest," by N. Diaz. 

No. 60. " Ville d'Avray " (near Paris), by Jean B. C. Corot. 

No. 61. " Study of a White Cow," by C. Troyon. 

No. 63. " The Brothers Adrien and William Van de Velde," by J. L. E- 
Meissonier. 

No. 64. " Boy of the Bischari Tribe," by J. L. E. Gerome. 

No. 68. " Peasant Girl Knitting," by Jules Breton. 

No. 74. " Religious Procession m Brittany," by Jules Breton. Breton was a 
special student of the quaint picturesque life of the Brittany peasantry, and one 
of his paintings, similar in theme and treatment to this, was sold a few years ago- 
to Sir Donald Smith, of Montreal, for $45,000. The peasantry there are a simple- 
hearted, superstitious people, among whom many a heathen legend, descended 
from the Druids, has mingled with Roman Catholic ideas and worship. 

" Almost every church has its strange legend, and every saint his special pat- 
ronage, and on his fete day a pilgrimage ox pardon is celebrated, when indulgence 
for past sins is obtained. These /(rn/ww or festivals often are nearly equivalent 
to the German kirchweich, the Flemish kermes, and the Irish wake. The 
pardon St. Mathurin held at Lamballe on Whit Sunday is much frequented by 
pilgrims, who dance the old Breton dances. The pardon celebrated four times a 
year at Rumegol near Le Faou is attended with very curious ceremonies. These 
pardons take place at fixed periods around about certain churches, but often in. 
uncultivated fields, where tents are erected and where the fete continues for sev- 
eral days and is attended by thousands of the peasantry of both sexes. The most 
important of these pardons are those of St. Anne d'Auray, and of St. Anne de 
Palud, which last is the most picturesque of all, and takes place at the sea-side. 
The one represented in M. Breton's picture is held at Kergoat, near Douarnenez 
and Quimper." Painted in 1859. 

No. 78. " Sister of Charity," by Edouard Frere. 

No. 79. "Brother and Sister," by Wm. A. Bougereau. 

No. 84. " A General and Adjutant " (shores of Antibes, France), by Meissonier. 

No. 85. " The Holy Family," by Diaz ; 1853. 

No. 94. " Skirmish between Cossacks and the Imperial Body Guard," 1814, by 
Edward Detaille; 1870. 

No. 99. " On the River Oise ; Evening," by Daubigny; painted to order in 1874. 

No. in. " The Shumalite Woman," by Alex. Cabanel ; painted to order, 1876. 
Illustrating the Song of Solomon, II., 8: "The voice of my beloved ! Behold he 
cometh," etc. 

No. 115. "The Holy Family," by Ludwig Knaus. This picture was painted in 
1876, by order of the late Empress of Russia. 

No. 123. " The Retreat from Moscow," by Gustave Dore ; 1865. 

No. 136. "The Massacre of the Mamelukes," by Alex. Bida ; a water-color. 
This massacre occurred on May i, 181 1, at the order of the Viceroy of Egypt, 
who wished to crush this warrior-race, and invited their leaders to meet him in the 



138 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

old palace at Cairo. "The Mamelukes, surrounded by impassable walls, fell like 
ripe corn under a hail of bullets, a confused mass of men and beasts : the horses 
neighing in their fright bounded through pools of blood over the bodies of the 
wounded, while the conquerors of a hundred battles, now conquered, shook their 
clenched fists at the terrible walls. Death passed over them like a whirlwind, not 
sparing one out of the five hundred horsemen." 

No. 138. "The Sign Painter," by Meissonier ; 1872. 

No. 139. "Camels Reposing," by Fortuny. This water-color, of a scene in 
Tangiers in 1865, once belonged to the artist Gerome. 

No. 142. " Landscape," by Diaz, on wood. 

North of these two rooms and communicating with them is the room T, called 
the 

Gallery of Memorials of Washington, Franklin and Lafayette. — It is occu- 
pied by memorials, and representations of all sorts, of the memorable men from 
•whom it is named ; paintings, busts, figurines, medallions, placques, pottery, etc. ; 
and is the most extensive collection of the kind known, but it is not of a sort to 
claim much attention from the average visitor. From this room, we pass on by 
doorways into two long galleries of paintings, marked U and V, and known as the 

Old Western Galleries. — Most of the pictures here are of recent date, and 
were presented, or bequeathed, by citizens of New York. Two stairways lead 
directly to the outer of the two rooms (V) and there we will begin our study of 
modern art. 

Prominent among the pictures in this first room (V) are several American land- 
scapes by Thomas Kensett, Cropsey, Hart and Bolton Jones, among American 
artists ; and Boughton is represented in a local historical subject, " the Judgment 
of Wouter Van Twiller." 

This illustrates a humorous bit of "history" from Irving's "Knickerbocker," 
wherein the sage Van Twiller, one of the early governors of New Amsterdam is 
related to have settled the dispute of two merchants in a novel way, by counting 
the leaves of, and then weighing, the ledgers each brought with him. Finding 
their thickness and weight the same, he announced that the accounts balanced, 
and that the constable in attendance should pay the costs. 

The striking painting by Hellquist (No. 18) of " Peder Sonniivater and Master 
Knut's Opprobrious Entry into Stockholm, in 1526" is thus explained : 

These two Swedish Bishops had sought refuge after their unsuccessful rebellion 
in Dalame, against Gustavus I., with the Archbishop Olaf, in Tronheim ; but the 
latter treacherously betrayed them to the King's servants, who, dressing them in 
rags, and putting a crown of straw on Sonnavater's head, and a mitre of birch- 
bark on Knut's, mounted them on starving horses, and brought them through 
Upsala to Stockholm in a Shrovetide procession, amidst jeers and insults. They 
were led to the market-place, and after drinking to the executioner's health, were 
broken on the wheel. Dated 1870. 

The large canvas on the end-wall near the entrance (No. 25), painted by Piloty 



METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART. 139 

at the order of the late A. T. Stewart, is probably the most conspicuous in the 
Toom. It is entitled " Thusnelda at the Triumphal Entry of Germanicus into 
Rome," and will demand long study to master its splendid details. 

Germanicus, fresh from his conquest of the tribes of Northern Europe, appears 
in the background upon a triumphal car, in front of which are his most distin- 
guished captives, and heaps of spoil, passing in review before the Emperor 
Tiberius, who, surrounded by his court, sits upon a dais to behold the trophies of 
his army's victory. The scene is described by both Tacitus and Strabo. The prin- 
cipal figure of the day, and of this picture is Thusnelda, wife of the German 
prince, Arminius, who had been forcibly carried away from her husband by her 
father, Segestes, and betrayed into the hands of the Romans. Now Segestes — the 
figure with long, red locks and fierce attitude standing on the platform before the 
•emperor, — is forced by Tiberius to witness the shame of his daughter's position, 
and endure the scorn of the senators and courtiers. Thusnelda, proud and regal 
in air and dressed in the costume of the Germans, walks past the throne without 
deigning a look to either her father or the emperor, and leading her little son 
Turnelicus. "Before her is the Priest Libes coupled (chained) together with war- 
riors, escorted by Roman soldiers, who insult them. Behind Thusnelda are to be 
seen her brothers, leaders of the Cherusker, chained together, with bears, etc., etc. 
The foreground to the left is occupied by populace of Rome, who mock and insult 
Thusnelda; but it is related that the nobility of Rome recognized and applauded 
the womanly dignity and patriotism she showed." 

The Old Western Gallery is continued into the larger adjoining room marked 
U, where a multitude of fine pictures are hung. The most conspicuous is Rose 
Bonheur's " Horse Fair " (No. 81) which was first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 
1853, and established her reputation. She was then only thirty years of age. 

This picture was exhibited in several European galleries, and was offered by 
Mile. Bonheur to the town of Bordeaux for $2,400 but did not find a purchaser. 
In 1855 it was bought by Mr. Ernest Gambart, of London, for 40,000 francs. 
He intended to have an engraving made from it ; but Mile. Bonheur, knowing, 
that this would be difficult, made for that purpose a replica, one quarter as large ; 
and it was that small one which Sir Thomas Landseer copied in the steel engrav- 
ing which quickly, became familiar all over the world. The original (here 
present) was subsequently bought by Mr. W. P. Wright, of Weehawken, N. J., 
who sold it to Mr. A. T. Stewart, in whose gallery it remained until the sale of 
1877, when Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt paid $53,500 for it, and gave it to the 
Museum. 

Perhaps the next most popular picture is Detaille's "Defense of Champigny" 
{No. 100), which was first exhibited in the Paris Salon in 1879. It was bought 
and presented to the Museum by Mr. Henry Hilton, to whom the artist (who 
was a soldier in the Franco-Prussian war and a witness to the scene depicted, 
wrote: 

" The episode which I have chosen gives scope for a great development of sub- 
ject. It is the moment when the division of General Faron (now Inspector of 
Marine), after having taken Champigny, situated above the Marne, fortified itself 



I40 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

in the village and defended, foot by foot, the houses and enclosures against the 
return attack of the Saxony and Wurtemburg divisions, in the battle of 2d Decem- 
ber, 1S70. The chateau which I have shown is one of those which is found at the 
fork of the two roads of Chennevieres ; a place well-known to those Parisians who 
took part in the scenes of the siege of Paris. The ofiicer shown in the center of 
the picture is General Faron, who was appointed General of Division on the field 
of battle. The foot soldiers belong to the 1 13th Regiment of the Line, who lost a 
great number in the three days of tight. The Sappers, who are making the 
embrasures in the wall to allow the sharpshooters to lire under protection, and are 
barricading the opening with all kinds of material ; the artillerists, who are plac- 
ing the battery guns in position ; all likewise were under the orders of General 
Faron, who at this time commanded the right wing of the French army." 

Several other paintings are more than ordinarily interesting here. Shrader's por- 
trait of Von Humboldt (No. 63) was painted in 1857, in Berlin, at the request of the 
late Mr. Albert Havemeyer, and was the last portrait from life of the great nat- 
uralist. The background, Mt. Chimborazo, was of his own choosing The nota- 
ble picture by Meissonier, entitled " Friedland, 1807 " (No 66) was one in which 
the artist took peculiar pride and pleasure. 

"I can only part with it with pain," he wrote to Mr, Henry Hilton (by whom it 
was given to the Museum) " — a picture which has been for so long a time the life and 
joy of my studio. ... I have the conviction — which I do not express without a 
certain pride — that the value of this work will increase with time. . . I did not 
intend to paint a battle — I wanted to paint Napoleon at the zenith of his glory ; I 
wanted to paint the love, the adoration of the soldiers for the great Captain in 
whom they had faith, and for whom they were ready to die. . . . The men and 
the Emperor are in the presence of each other. The soldiers cry to him that they 
are his, and the impassive Chief, whose Imperial will directs the masses that 
move around him, salutes his devoted army. He and. they plainly comprehend 
each other, and absolute confidence is expressed in every face." The price paid 
for this picture was $66,000. 

The picture No. 94, called " L'Attentat d'Anagni," by Albert Maignan, repre- 
sents a dramatic incident in the life of Pope Boniface VHI. in 1294. 

" Philip the Fair, of France, resisted his authority in spiritual matters, and, 
aided by Italian enemies of the Pope, compelled him to take refuge in his native 
town. Hither he was pursued by Sciarra Colonna, at that time head of the most 
celebrated and powerful of the Romai> aristocratic families. The picture repre- 
sents the moment when Boniface says to his assailants, ' Here is my neck; here 
is my head ; strike ! but I will die Pope.' " 

The gein-e work, landscapes and portraits by George Inness, Thomas Kensett, 
Edward Gay, Swain Gifford, George Smillie, W. B. Baker, George H. Boughton, 
Frank Millet, C. F. Ulrich, Leon Y. Escosura, Eastman Johnson, J. Alden Wier 
and other American painters will be noticed ; while pictures are to be seen in this 
room by such distinguished foreign artists (in addition to these already mentioned) 
as Dupre, Mauve (Nos. 95, loi), Diaz (98), Fortuny (71), Benjamin Constant ("La 



METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART. 141 

Tunisienne " (No. 73), Wylie {" Death of a Vendeau chief" No. 105), and Har- 
pipignies (No 137, illustrating a song by Victor Hugo). 

On the Southwrest Stairway are hung fourteen paintings. The first is a Flem- 
ish picture of the school of Rubens, representing the " Birth of the Virgin." The 
next nine are " The Muses," by J. Fagnani ; all painted from New York ladies, 
and presented by an association of gentlemen in 1873. ^^- "^ ^^ by Benvenuti, 
and represents an incident described in Dante's Divine Comedy. The next is 
Bierstadt's " Donner Lake; " No. 13, Kensett's " Passing away of the Storm," and 
the last a " Holy Family " by Carl Miiller. 

On the Northwest Stairway is T. Couture's powerful " Decadence of Rome " 
— a copy of the large picture now in the Luxembourg, in Paris, made about 1850, 
and retouched by Couture himself, — and several other paintings. 

These Western galleries are connected with the Eastern galleries of Paintings 
by the two Oriental galleries (W, Z), which overlook the grand hall. Of these, 
the northern one is W, — the 

Gallery of Oriental Porcelains, Etc. — This is worth very careful attention by 
lovers of the ceramic arts ; and a handbook ( 10 cents) may be bought which treats 
of the collection most instructively. The examination should begin at the eastern 
end, where the numbering of the specimens begins. 

The earliest is the pure white porcelain, the oldest style in China, and still some- 
what made. Next in order and time follows the old Celadon wares, generally sea- 
green. Then come the old and valued blue wares, with slip decorations, and after 
them the monochromatic, variegated and mottled enamels, whose splendor of color 
could not be matched for variety, or for the intensity of some of their tints, by all 
the rest of the world. Observe the graduations and purity of the blues, and then 
the liver-reds upon this ware. From the plain-ground colors the eye passes to the 
intermingling of enamels, the marvelous success of which, when attempted by the 
Chinese, is shown in specimens 161, t66, 173, 175 and others near them. The 
crackle wares come next, divided into classes : i, one ground color ; ::, two ground 
colors ; 3, decorative designs in colors. These are followed by reticulated pieces 
of which 325 is a prominent example. They indicate the highest skill in the hand- 
ling of pastes, and collectors now eagerly seek good specimens. Next come the 
relief decorations, in great number and variety ; but special attention should be 
paid to the vases and cup and saucer, Nos. 376, 377, and 37S, which are orna- 
mented with designs in mother-of-pearl inlaid in lacquer. Delicate specimens of 
bamboo-covered eggshell ware follow ; and then the rice-grain style of decora- 
tion (e.g., 1205, 1231). Beyond these are picked examplars of the various styles 
ofblue-and-white enameled porcelain, so universally esteemed, and forming a long 
list. Rose and ruby porcelains succeed these — the latter tint, being a royal pre- 
rogative. This class grades into various mixtures of colors, classified by the pre- 
dominating feature in their decoration. Among these begin to appear many 
specimens of Japanese work of the same class. The cases at the western end 
of the gallery contain pieces of exceptional beauty and value. Specimens 1093 to 
1099 are fragments from the porcelain Tower at Nankin completed in 1431, but 
begun so far back that the date has? been lost in tradition. P^ few specimens of 



142 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Corean (1071, etc.), Hindoostani and Persian wares complete this extremely 
interesting and precious collection. 

The opposite, or South gallery (X) is the 

Gallery of Oriental (Japanese) Art. — Its cases are crowded with a rare col- 
lection of Japanese ivories, small bronzes, jades, crystals, lacquers of great variety 
and excellence, and other of the smaller and more delicate examples of the 
exquisite work of that artistic nation, outside of the realms of pottery and pict- 
m-es. It is one of the most precious and beautiful accumulations of these objects 
in the world, and will repay many hours of study. 

The Art Schools. — In the basement of the Museum are domiciled the Art 
Schools attached to the Museum, but these are not open to the public; and 
two rooms containing exhibits. One of these (the East Room), contains the Di 
Cesnola collection of Tanagra statuettes, in regard to which art-circles were 
much excited some years ago, but these are not at present open to the 
public. 

The Obelisk, or "Cleopatra's Needle." 

The obelisks that stand as mementos of ancient religions and kingdoms in the 
valley of the Nile, have been objects of intense interest to the world ever since 
their erection. Many of them have been transported to Rome, Constantinople 
and other European cities, and it is a subject of gratification to all Americans that 
the most distinguished of those remaining in Egypt — the far-famed " Cleopatra's 
Needle," should have been permitted to come to New York. 

Historical. — This obelisk was quarried out of the hard, rose-red syenite of the 
quarries of Assouan (anciently Syene), in Nubia, and was then floated 700 miles 
down the Nile to the ancient city On, known in classical writings as Heliopolis — 
City of the Sun — whose ruins are near the modern village of Matunyeh, five miles 
from Cairo. 

Here in the far-past days of Egyptian glory, stood the celebrated Temple of the 
Sun, where students and pilgrims gathered from all parts of the world, and the 
greatest Pharaohs added to their titles " Prince of Heliopolis." This temple was 
the University, so to speak, of the nation, where " all the learning of the Egyp- 
tians" was concentrated, and that meant the sum of human knowledge at that 
time. Here, no doubt, Moses studied, and here Joseph obtained his wife, the 
daughter of a priest of Ra. Herodotus described the temple, and hither, at a later 
day, came Pythagoras, Plato and Eudoxus for higher training than Athens could 
give them. It is thought that from the records preserved in this temple, Manetho 
collected his history of the ancient Egyptian kings. If so, it is well that he did 
not delay, for by Strabo's time, Alexandria, under the Roman domination, had 
become the seat of learning, and Heliopolis was in the ruins from which it never 
arose, although this was the very city of the Phoenix itself, 



THE OBELISK. 



143 



This renowned temple at Heliopolis, of which a model has been preserved, was 
consecrated to the s]3ecial service of Ra, the mid-day sun, the god of creating light 
and life, and thence, secondarily, to deities associated with him by similarity of 
attributes. There is no record of the founding of this building, which is regarded 
as only exceeded in age, in all Egypt, by the shrine of Pthah at Memphis. It was 
occasionally rebuilt or repaired, and at last, was restored and enlarged by 
Thothnies III. who belonged to the XVIIIth dynasty, was a great warrior, and 
represented the height of Egypt's period of conquest and expansion about 16 
centuries before Christ. He also adorned the temple-grounds with new and 
splendid obelisks. Two of these, of the larger size, stood in front of the temple, 
one on each side of the main entrance ; and it is one of these two that has been 
set up in Central Park. 

Though always of religious significance, the obelisks themselves were not wor- 
shipped, but bore the names of the god or gods of life, to which they were sev- 
erally consecrated, and also of the king — himself an object of worship— who 
erected them. This form of monument was symbolic of the highest function of 
nature — re-creation. They were always associated with temples, yet always an 
exterior accessory, as was the case with this one. 

When this obelisk was erected, it had only a single vertical column of hiero- 
glyphics, placed there to the glory of Thothmes III. Three centuries later, 
Rameses II., the '' Pharaoh" of Mosaic story, added two outside lines upon each 
face, while Seti II. also placed a few lines of hieroglyphics with his cartouche, on 
the lower front of the stone. Thus this stone commemorates three great rulers. 
When the Romans conquered Egvpt, they brought down the two great obelisks 
above mentioned, and set them up in Alexandria to ornament a city at that time 
only second to Rome itself in grandeur and learning. This occurred in the iSth 
year of the reign of Augustus, 13-12 v.. c, when Publius Rubrius Barbarus 
was prefect of Egypt ; and the engineer who managed the removal was a cele- 
brated Greek architect named Pontius. The bases of these two shafts had 
become somewhat rounded, and the Romans thought the best plan was to support 
them freely upon bronze legs. These took the form of sea crabs (regarded as 
appropriate because the crab was the symbol of Apollo — a god in the Roman 
mythology which corresponded with Ra) ; but afterward nearly all the accessible 
portions of these crabs were hacked away by plunderers. Fortunately, however, 
in the case of the present obelisk, the one crab remaining in fair condition (and 
which may be seen in the Art Museum) contained an inscription which affords 
the information as to its removal above recited. This obelisk (as well as' its 
fallen companion now in London) has been known for a long time as Cleopatra's 
Needle ; but it is evident from the history above given, and the fact that 
Cleopatra died some years before the stone w<vs brought from Heliopolis, 



144 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

that she never had anything to do with it entitling her name to remembrance 
by it. 

How the Obelisk was Obtained. — In early days several smaller obelisks 
were taken to Rome, and may still be seen there, after a history of vicissitude. 
Afterwards a larger one was sent to Constantinople. The Parisians obtained one 
from Lu.Yor (Thebes) and set it up in the Place de la Concorde ; and in about 
1876 the fallen companion to ours, in Alexandria, was moved to London and 
erected upon the Thames embankment. This last circumstance aroused a general 
desire in the United States that one should be brought over here, and upon learn- 
ing this fact the late Khedive of Egypt, Ismail Pasha, presented this one, which 
was the most easily accessible, and the sixth largest in size in all Egypt, to the 
city of New York. 

How it was Brought Here.— The work of its removal was committed to Lt. 
Com. H. H. Gorringe, U. S, N., and the entire expense was borne by the late 
W. H. Vanderbilt. It will be of interest to relate briefly the means used for its 
transfer to its present site m the New World. 

This obelisk stood very near the sea-wall at Alexandria, a little way from the 
old fort and the new railway station ; had it remained there a few years longer it 
would doubtless have been destroyed by the bombardment of Alexandria. On 
Oct. 30, 1879, Commander Gorringe and his workmen arrived there, with the 
machinery i^repared for the lowering and removal of the monolitii. The sand was 
first cleared away down to the pedestal, nine feet below the surface. There were 
found the remains of the four bronze crabs on which the obelisk stood, and which 
may be seen in the Art Museum to-day; but the weather, and the blowing of the 
sharp sand, had rounded away the base as now appears. The pedestal and under- 
lying foundation were massive courses of granite masonrv. Piers of masonry were 
next built at each side of the monument, on top of which were erected great shears 
or derricks of steel, taken from America for the purpose, and capped with bearings 
like those for the trunnions of a cannon. A jacket of steel jjlates and rods, so 
arranged as to su]Dport the great weight of the stone equally in all parts, was then 
applied, with an ingenuity which was the admiration of the foreign engineers who 
watched the operation with great interest; from each side of which, near the cen- 
ter of gravity of the monolith, projected trunnions which lay in the bearings on 
top of the piers. When the cralxs were knocked from underneath, the stone hung 
in its steel cage, suspended by these trunnions, and was readily swung into a hori- 
zontal position. A staging of timbers was then built up underneath it, until it 
rested still in a horizontal position upon this new su])port. Then by the jirocess 
known as "jacking down" the timbers were one by one removed until finally the 
huge stone was gradually brought to the level of the eartli, and deposited in the 
bottom of a great pontoon or boat pre])ared to receive it. The sea-wall was then 
knocked down, the sea water let into the j^it, the pontoon floated with its jirecious 
cargo and was towed around to a drydock. It was drawn to the inner end of the 
dock, and a steamer sent there for the purpose, was taken in after it. Then the 
water was pumped out of the dock, a hole was cut in the bow of the vessel, the 
monolith was pushed end foremost into the hold and properly secured, the bow 
was repaired, and the steamer floated oyt into the harl^or again, with the original 



THE OBELISIC. 145 

pedestal and all the tools on board, as well as the obelisk snug in the hold. On 
July 20, 18S0, the ship anchored in the Hudson. The pedestal was landed and 
hauled to Central Park by 32 horses, attached to an enormous truck. Then the 
ship went down to Staten Island, and was hauled out of the water on the marine 
railway there. The bow was again opened, the monolith pulled out and suspended 
between two broad pontoons, or rafts such as are used in raising sunken ships. 
This floated upon the rising tide, and was towed to the foot of 96th st.. North 
River, and a few moments later the great stone was resting quietly on a submerged 
pier constructed for the purpose. The rest of the journey was made over an im- 
provised railway, upon a carriage running upon iron balls and rollers. A station- 
ary engine was attached to this carriage, tackle was fi.xed at points in advance, the 
engine wound up the rope upon its drum and thus pulled itself and the stone for- 
ward, stage by stage. The obelisk went up the hill at 96th St., then down the 
Boulevard to 83d st. and through that street to Eighth av. It crossed the park 
through the sunken road to Fifth av. and then down to the narrow gate opposite 
the Museum. Then it was dragged up a steep incline to the top of the steel der- 
ricks erected over the spot on which it was to stand. Here all the machinery used 
in Egypt to take it down, was agam brought into application, and by a reversal 
of the same process the monolith was a second time set upright upon its mighty 
pedestal and new bronze crabs. 

The Inscriptions. — The carvings upon the obelisk long antedate, of course, 
the invention of letters ; yet they are a form of writing in which ideas are ex- 
pressed by pictures and symbols. These are called hieroglyphs, and were read as 
easily by any one acquainted with the meanings of these conventional drawings as 
an expert now reads an easy rebus in a juvenile magazine. Those meanings, 
however, were lost and forgotten many centuries ago, and it is only within a few 
decades that scholars have re-discovered, to some extent, the significance of the 
conventional figures and signs, and have acquired the ability to translate some of 
hieroglyphics. Orientalists still differ, however, as to many meanings, and hence 
no agreement has been reached in regard to the full translation of the inscriptions 
upon this shaft. Certain general facts are clear, nevertheless. 

The sides of the shaft were inscribed with three vertical rows of characters, and 
the faces of the pyramidion. or sloping apex, contain other figures, in squares — all 
in intaglio relievo. As originally the apex was gilded, and the surface of the 
shaft brightly polished, these depressed characters would be even more distinct 
than they now are. The inscriptions, so far as they have been translated, are of 
little historical value. Those in the pyramidion are unquestionably dedicatory to 
the two gods Ra and Atum — to Ra, as god of heaven, and to Atum as god of 
Ileliopolis. The translations of those on the shaft are little more than a monoto- 
nous list of official epithets and magniloquent titles. The hawks, at the top of the 
column on each face, are the birds of Ra, because they fly the highest and are 
supposed to be able to gaze steadily at the sun ; the bull often represented is 
Mnevis, the sacred white bull of that worship ; and the little group of figures here 
and there in each column, enclosed by an oval, is the cartouche or signature of the 



146 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

royal iiiscriljcr. The middle columns on eacli side, are by Thothmes III., who set 
up this obelisk ; and those on the sides are by Rameses II., inscribed three 
centuries later. In addition to this, Seti (or Usorken) I. placed his cartouche upon 
three faces, near the base, about nine and a half centuries before Christ. 

The inscriptions cut upon the bronze crabs, and said to be copied from the 
original, are wrong, since the cleaning and further study of the old fragment show 
that the true date (as explained above) is 13-12 B. c, instead of 23-22. The full 
history of these bronzes, and their Greek and Latin inscriptions, are given Ijy Prof. 
A. C. Merriam in a " Monograph," published by the Harpers, and for sale in the 
Museum of Art (price 50 cents). 

Dimensions. — The full length of the obelisk is 69 ft. 2 inches. This includes 
the pyramidion, which is 7 ft. %\ inches high, — precisely the width of its base. 
The slope of its sides would, if continued to twice the length of the stone, cause 
them to meet in a point. The weight is 220 tons. Much fear was entertained 
that the severe alternations of heat and cold in this climate would cause the 
surface of the stone to chip, and that consequently the carvings would gradually 
be obliterated. A coating of paraffine was therefore applied ; whether or not this 
was efficacious, no evidences of decay are yet discernible. 

Books upon this and other Egyptian obelisks have been written by Lt. Com. 
H. H. Gorringe (a quarto with many fine illustrations), by W. R. Cooper, of 
London, and by several other authors, which can be obtained at the libraries. 



IX. 
A TOUR OF THE CITY. 




'HAT is the best route to take for a single day's 
tour of the city of New York ? Here is a 
question that might be debated a long time. 
Any manageable route is likely to leave out 
some specialties of interest ; but the locality 
and route to such places are all to be found 
elsewhere in this volume. Bearing in mind the limitations of time to a single 
day, the following itinerary seems a good one: but it is not intended that 
the " tourist " shall halt anywhere more than a very few minutes, unless he is 
willing to begin the peregrination at an earlier hour than ordinary in the morning. 



Madison Square to Washington Square. 

Madison Square (see illustration opp. p. 148) is at 23d st. and Fifth av., in the cen- 
ter of the hotel district, and thus forms a natural starting jioint for the greater 
number of the strangers within our gates. Here Broadway slants across Fifth av., 
making an open paved plaza which is one of the most animated points in New 
York, especially in the afternoon, when the shopping and pleasure-seeking people 
from uptown meet the business population from down-town at this crossroads. 
The park itself measures about 6 acres in extent, between Fifth and Madison avs., 
on the east; the latter street beginning here at 23d St., and extending uninter- 
ruptedly to 139th St. and the Harlem river — a perfectly straight line. Its trees 
have grown until they mantle the whole space with their shade in summer, when 
all day the park is filled with nurses and children and idle folk of every class ; and 
in winter the shadows of the twigs 1:)eautifully tesselate the asphalt, as the strong 
rays of the electric lamps strike through the leafless branches. A noble fountain 
occupies the middle of the Square, and at the southeast corner is a handsome 



148 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

drinking fountain, designed by Miss Stebbins, and given to the city by tlie late 
Catherine Wolfe. At the southwest corner of the park a sitting stature of Wil- 
liam H. Seward calmly surveys the turmoil of tralific; and at the northwest corner 
is Augustine St. Gaudens's statue of David Farragul, the popular naval hero of 
the Civil War. 

This statue is the most artistic piece of sculpture in the city. It is of bronze, and 
is in the life-like attitude of the commander as he stands upon his quarter-deck, 
facing the gale and directing the movement of his ship, with the fervor of battle in 
his eyes and the decision of coming victory in his pose. The pedestal takes the 
form of an inviting bench, protected by a high curving back and ornamented with 
inscriptions and emblematic figures in low relief. It was presented to the city by 
the Farragut Memorial Association. 

Nearly opposite, on the point between Fifth av. and Broadway, the granite obeiisk 
erected by the city in 1857 to the memory of Worth, the hero of the Mexican war, 
rises with simple dignity from a small inclosure. 

Madison Square was surrounded, only a few years ago, by fashionable resi- 
dences Those on the Fifth av. side, from the Madison Bank building to Del- 
monico's, were long ago converted to business, and on one of them the sign of the 
famous habit-maker, Redfern, is conspicuous. A line of fine houses still runs 
along the north side from the Brunswick hotel to Madison av. On the eastern 
side of Madison av., where long ago the Hudson River R. R. depot stood and 
more lately the Hippodrome, has now risen the pleasure-house called the Madison 
Square Garden. The brick building on the corner of 26th St., covered with balco- 
nies, is the old Union League club-house, now occupied by the University Club. 
A line of elegant mansions, with others behind them, and the Madison .Sq. Presby- 
terian church, face the east side ; while the 23d st. side is devoted to business,— 
the Scott Stamp and Coin Company, known to boys throughout the country, Kurtz 
Photograph Gallery, the American Art Galleries, where many exhibitions of paint- 
ings, etc., are held, and the Bartholdi hotel being prominent there. On the Broad- 
way side the vast white front of the Fifth av. hotel dominates the scene. 

Crossing 23d st. let us walk down Fifth av., which in this part is mainly given 
up to trade. The Herald's up-town agency stands on the corner, and beyond it, 
right and left, are book and art stores. Knoedler's (formerly Goupil's) art-gal- 
lery and salesroom force us to pause a moment to look into the windows. Oppo- 
site is the tall Cumberland apartment house, and on the block below is the Glen- 
ham hotel. On the upper corner of W. 21st st. (it must be remembered that this 
avenue divides the cross streets into " East " and " West ") is the Union Club, 
and across the avenue is the more unpretentious house of the Lotus Club (see 
Clubs), while the church next beyond is the South Reformed. The splendid new 
structure at the corner of W. 20th is the Methodist Book Concern, headquar- 
ters of Methodism in America; and opposite is the rear of Arnold & Constable's 
white iron warehouse. Chickering Hall is the large building with an imposing 
doorway, at the corner of W. i8th st. At No. 109, opposite, live theBelmonts; 



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A TOUR OF THE CITY. 149 

and Mrs. Marshall O. Roberts lives just below, at No. 107. Edwards Pierrepont 
ex-minister to England, is at 103, and at No. iiS dwells Robert Winthrop, while No. 
85, corner of E. i6th, is the home of Vice-President Morton, immediately opposite 
the tall publishing house occupied chiefly by Mrs. Frank Leslie and Judge ; and 
just around the corner lives Ward McAllister. The brown stone building on the 
southwest corner of 15th st., has been occupied until lately by the Manhattan 
Club, now domiciled in the Stewart Mansion, up town. 

Crossing the busy thoroughfare of 14th St., we find the next block given up to 
business. No. 60, a little below, is the home of General Butterfield: and No. 
57 that of the Roosevelt's and Maitlands. Between E. nth and E. loth is the 
headquarters of the Presbyterian Church. On the corner of E. 9th st. (No. 23) 
Gen. Daniel E. Sickles dwells, and diagonally across is the old and elegant Berk- 
eley apartment house. Eighth st. is here called Clinton Place, and the white 
front of the Brevoort House, so much admired by foreign tourists, will compel 
attention. John Taylor Johnston, President of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 
lives at No. 8 ; and at No. 6 the Lispenard Stewarts, while No. i is the home of J. 
Butler Duncan. 

Washington Square to the Battery. 

The visitor, a year or two hence, will pass from Fifth av. into Washington 
Square under the noble curve of the Centennial Arch, which will be modelled in 
marble after the temporary structure built there for the centennial celebration of 
the inauguration of the first president of the United States, which took place in 
this city on May i, 1S89, with such memorable pomp and circumstance. 

The park at Washington Square is 9 acres in extent, and occupies the site of 
the old Potter's Field, wherein more than 100,000 bodies are buried. Later it was 
a military training ground, and a camp for volunteer troops during the late war. 
Its improvement is therefore more modern than the appearance of the grand elms 
along its northern side would indicate. 

The north side of Washington Square is peculiarly impressive and interesting, 
from the style of the residences, many of which are still inhabited by affluent old 
families, too conservative and too much in love with past associations and with 
the beauty of the location to yield to the behests of fashion. The houses are of 
red brick, with white marble trimmings and marble stoops, and have a peculiarly 
bright and refreshing aspect. " On or near the Square dwell the DeNavarros, the 
Butlers, St. Gaudens the sculptor, R. W. Gilder, editor of the Coitmy, and A. W. 
Drake, its art-director ; Rogers the sculptor of statuette groups, Charles DeKaj-, 
Henry James, George Parsons Lathrop, and several other poets and literary men, 
and a colony of artists, many well known, occupy studios and bedrooms in the 
castle-like University building or in the Benedict apartment house on the east side 
of the square. The west side is made by MacDougal St., once one of the most 
delightful side streets in New York, but now given up to squalid tenements, except 



ISO GUIDE 7 NEW YORK CITY. 

that the tall Washington flats and sunie good houses still overlook the park. 
Near the southwest corner is to be built soon a great memorial mission church, in 
honor of the Rev. Adoniram Judson, who was the first foreign missionary sent out 
from the United States. The region south of the square has fallen into the- deep- 
est social degradation, and is inhaljited by a mixture of Italians, French, negroes 
and nondescripts, among whom the police know many habitual criminals. The 
Italian poor predominate among the crowds that throng here on pleasant evenings ; 
and to this people the city owes the bronze statue of Garibaldi, which faces the 
fountain, and is the work of Giovanni 'I'urini. 

Let us step eastward into Washington Place, formerly one of the fashionable 
streets in the city, far enough to glance at No. lo, the old home of the Vanderbilt 
family, where the famous old " Commodore " spent the latter half of his life, and 
finally died. Here were born the sons whose aptitude in money-getting has main- 
tained the reputation of the name, and whose palaces we shall see later on in our 
jaunt. The house is plain, but large and elegantly furnished, a mansion far more 
roomy, solid and comfortable than are most of the more showy uptown houses of 
recent date. In the rear are the spacious stables, glass-roofed, where the Commo- 
dore kept " Plowboy," " Postboy," and the other light-footed horses in which he 
took so great delight; a miniature track, where the trotters were exercised, was 
laid out in the yard, and " Mountain Girl " lies buried in its center, under a memo- 
rial stone. At No. 25, corner of Greene St., lives the wealthy DeNavarro family. 

Returning, we cross Washington Square and walk down South Fifth av., through 
the French quarter, to the station of the Sixth Av. El. Ry. at Bleecker St., and 
take our seats in a train bound down town. (The route passed over in this car- 
ride will be found in the early chapter Getting About the City.) 

We alight at Battery Place and can spare a few minutes for a stroll about Bat- 
tery Park and a glance at Castle Garden, facts in regard to which may be read in 
the next chapter. This done, we will turn our steps toward the commercial quar- 
ter of New York, and Wall street. 

Bowling Green to Wall Street. 

Bowling Green is a small oval of shrubbery in the triangular space at the foot 
of Broadway. It is the oldest park in the city, and was a market place in the 
early Colonial days of the Dutch town, whose narrow and intricate streets were 
laid out between it and East River. The English made a little park of it, and 
some of the best houses of pre-Revolutionary days overlooked its lawn. Here 
was erected that leaden statue of George HI., which the spirited young Americans 
pulled down in 1776, and out of wliich, tradition says, they moulded 42,000 bullets 
to fire at -the red-coated subjects of the melted monarch — which was adding injury 
to insult. For many years the surroundings retained much of this old-fashioned 
appearance, but since the last decade began, vast changes have taken place, though 



Savannah Line 



S. S. Kansas City, 4,000 
toas, Capi'. Kempton. 

S. S. City of Birmingham, 

3 UOO tons, Capt. Bukg 

S.S. City of Augusta, 3.000 
tons, ('APT. Catharine. 

S.S.Tallahassee, 3,000 tons, 
Capt. Fisueu. 

S. S. Chattahoochee, 3,000 
tons, Capt. Daggett. 

S. S. Nacoochee, 3,000tons, 
('apt. S.mitii. 

S. S. Ci:y of Savannah, 

~', 100 tuns. Capt.Googins. 



Steamers leave for SAV- 
ANNAH every MONDAY, 
WEDNESD.\Y, FRIDAY, 
and SATURDAY, at 3 p.m., 
from new pier 35, N. R., 
foot of Spring Street, New 
York, connecting with ex- 
press trains for JACKSON- 
VILLE, TIIOMASVILLE, 
andNSW ORLEANS. 

Through passage tickets 
and b lis of lading issued 
for all principal points in 
Georgia, Florida, and Ala- 
bama. 

For further p.iitxulars r^.^- 
garding passage or freight. 
address 




New Pier 35, N. R., NEW YORK. 



A TOVR of the city. 151 

the line of old brick buildings south of it, now occupied as foreign consulates and 
steamship offices, reminds us of the long-ago. But these, it is supposed, will soon 
be cleared away to make room for a new Custom House. 

" On the site now occupied by Mr. Cyrus W. Field's Washington building |the 
enormously high structure west of the Green and facing the Battery], No. i Broad- 
way, Archibald Kennedy, the collector of the port, built, in 1760, a large house, 
which successively became the headquarters of Lords Cornwallis and Howe, 
General Sir Henry Clinton and General Washington, while Talleyrand made it 
his home during his stay in America. Benedict Arnold concocted his treasonable 
projects at No. 5 Broadway, and at No. 11, on the site of the Bourgomaster 
Kruger's Dutch tavern, was General Gage's headquarters, m the old King's Arms 
inn. . . . South of the square, and on the site now occupied by si.x old-fashioned 
brick buildings, the first governor of the New Netherlands, Peter Minuit, who had 
bought the island of Manhattan from the Indians for .i;24, built Fort Amsterdam, 
a block house surrounded by a cedar palisade." 

Broadway begins at Battery Park and passes west of the Green. The diverging 
street at the right is Whitehall, which goes by a curve to the South ferries on East 
River. This street received its name from a large white dwelling, which stood at 
the corner of State St., supposed to have been built by Stuyvesant, who occupied 
it for a time, and which was subsequently the residence of the English governor 
Dongan. 

Straight across from the Green, at the head of this AVhitehall st., the long 
stately fa9ade of the Produce Exchange forms the most conspicuous feature in the 
scene. This building is 300 by 150 ft. in ground dimensions, 116 ft. high to the 
cornice of the roof, and 225 to the top of the tower. It stands upon a foundation 
of 15,000 spruce piles, and is fire-proof throughout. The cost, including the 
ground, was nearly $3,200,000; and when the bonded debt is liquidated it will 
yield an income of $200,000 a year. The external material is brick and terra-cotta 
and the style is modern Renaissance of a beautiful order, designed and executed 
by George B. Post, as architect. " Its massive campanile shares with the lace- 
like Brooklyn Bridge, the spire of Trinity Church, the tall tower of the Tribune, 
and the ambitious altitude of the Equitable and Western Union structures, the 
admiration of the stranger." 

The Produce Exchange arose by degrees out of the habit of the merchants, from 
the earliest time, of meeting in the central market-jjlace to traffic together and 
compare prices. In 1690 an Exchange building was first erected, partly for their 
use, at the foot of liroad St., succeeded in 1727 by an exclusive corn-exchange or 
market at the foot of Wall st. This was followed by other buildings more and 
more specially adaj^ed to their needs, until finally the merchants united in erect- 
ing the Merchants' Exchange, now used as the U. S. Custom House. But after a 
time a number of discontented members and outsiders, who were then doing busi- 
ness in flour and grain in the open air at the lower end of Broad St., organized and 
incorporated a new association which set up for itself at the corner of Whitehall 



152 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

and Pearl sts., where Washington Irving had lived in his younger days. To this 
new center all the old members .were finally obliged to come, and in 1868 the 
" New York Produce Exchange " was organized. Ten years later it was seen that 
the old building would soon be outgrown, in 1882 the foundations of this new 
" temple of commerce " were laid, and on May 6, 1S84, the members took posses- 
sion. The old Corn Exchange has been torn down and in its place has arisen the 
Army liuilding. The membership, has long since reached the limit, 3000, and 
when a vacancy occurs by death or otherwise, from $3000 to .|>5ooo is paid at an 
auction among approved bidders for the vacated certificate. 

Several large entrances admit to the corridors, where are a branch Post Ofiice, 
the offices of the Produce Exchange Bank and several other corporations. Nine 
elevators are constantly running, and visitors may easily go to the foot of the 
tower where they are permitted to ascend the stairways to its summit. 

This is well worth the exertion. " The White Tower of the Conqueror, the 
Colonne Napoleon, or the Monument on Bunker Hill offers nothing equal to the 
urban, rural, and marine scenery presented to the vision. East, west, north and 
south the view is comparatively unobstructed. About its feet cluster the Field 
Building, on the site of Washington's headquarters, Castle Garden, the United 
States Sub-Treasury, Assay Office, and Custom House, the Stock, Produce, Cotton, 
Metal, and other exchanges, and the stately edifices in which the marvellous oper- 
ations of commerce, finance, insurance, banking, railroading, and telegraphing are 
carried on. If Washington be the cerebrum. New York is the cerebellum of the 
American body-politic, governor's Island, the pedestal of ' Liberty Enlightening 
the World,' the civic municipalities of Brooklyn, Hoboken, Jersey and Long 
Island City, the distant heights in the receding country, and the shimmering 
waters of bay and river, mottled by craft of every civilization, invite delighted 
mspection." 

If the visitor does not care to go the Tower, he stops at the Gallery floor, 
and passes into the balcony overlooking the " floor " of the Exchange, upon which 
no one is permitted to go without introduction. 

This room is 220 by 144 ft. in breadth, and 60 ft. high to the skylight. It can 
hold comfortably 7000 persons, and a fourth more space may be added, if neces- 
sary, in the future. Several long tables, having drawers and compartments, are 
provided for the convenience of the flour merchants; and one for dealers in lard, 
oils, etc. Telegraph and telephone booths are scattered along the walls, and sev- 
eral little tables are assigned to commercial journalists. Not at the long tables, 
however, where samples are shown, are all prices determined. That occurs at the 
auctions on the floor, amid a noise and confusion of yellings which is utterly 
incomprehensible to the uninitiated. The little circle of raised platforms near the 
gallery, known as the Pit, and filled sometimes with a crowd of men who seem to 
have gone mad with excitement, is where the prices of future deliveries, at the 
option of buyer or seller, are decided. ISack of the Pit is the call room (out of 
sight from the gallery) where an amphitheatre of 500 seats is arranged, and where 
provisions and grain are sold through the medium of presiding callers. Here on 
bulletin boards the figures of supply, sales, and prices of all the articles dealt in by 
the Exchange, at every important mart in the world, are posted as fast as received 



A TOUR OF THE CITY. 153 

by telegraph. " While on the floor a buyer may receive a cable order for a cargo 
of grain, flour or provisions, may purchase what is ordered, charter a vessel for 
shipment, engage an elevator to load the grain, or a lighter to move provisions or 
flour, effect insurance, sell exchange, cable back the fact of his purchases, write 
and mail his letters." 

The E.xchange is controlled by a board of managers, and its expenses are 
defrayed by an assessment not exceeding $30 on each member. The employees 
number 84, under the control of a superintendent, who is the executive officer and 
cashier of the corporation. An arbitration committee exists, to whom all dis- 
putes may be referred, and from whose judgment there is no appeal. The business 
hours are from 9 to 4, no smoking is allowed before 2.15 p. m., and " skylarking " 
is permitted only on special occasions sanctified by custom. No fictitious or 
"washed" sales are allowed. All business must be fair and square on pain of 
expulsion. For what this business amounts to, and full details of how it is done, 
read Mr. Richard Wheatley's admirable article (illustrated) in Harper's Magazine 
for July, 1886. 

Several other analogous business associations may be noted. Among them are : 
The Mercantile Exchange, butter, eggs, etc., in Hudson St.; the Coffee Exchange, 
at Pearl and Beaver sts.; the Cotton Exchange (see below) ; the Maritime Exchange 
in the Produce Exchange building; the Metal Exchange, on Burling Slip; the 
Coal and Iron Exchange, Cortlandt and Church sts.; the Real Estate Exchange, 
57 Liberty st. (see Harper''s Mag., Nov. 18S8) ; Bnilding Material Exchange, 59 
Liberty St.; and the Horse Exchange, whose great stables are at 50th st. and Broad- 
way, and which acts in conjunction with Tattersalls, in London. 

Representatives of all these unite to form the Chamber of Commerce, which 
was incorporated in 1770, and is the oldest commercial corporation in the United 
States. Its history is a reminiscence of the old coffee houses and merchants 
assembly-rooms in the early days of the city. 

" At the time of its first incorporation the Chamber consisted of 20 of the lead- 
ing merchants of the then young city, who first met in April, 1768, at Bolton & 
Sigell's house, still standing at the corner of Pearl and Broad sts , afterward occu- 
pied by Gen. Washington as a headquarters. In 1769 rooms were rented in the 
building then known as the ' Exchange,' at the lower end of Broad st.; and after 
10 years' occupancy the Chamber moved to the Merchants' Coffee House, at the S. 
E. corner of Wall and Water sts. In 1817 another move was made to the old 
Tontine Coffee House on the N. W. corner of the above. They next found quar- 
ters at the Merchants' Exchange from 1827 until they were driven out by the great 
fire in 1835. Afterward the meetings were held in the Directors" room of the Mer- 
chants' Bank in W^all st. until 1858, and later at 6t, William st. In the year 1884 
they removed to spacious rooms in the new building of the Mutual Life Insurance 
Co., in Nassau st., between Cedar and Liberty sts. The objects of the Chamber 
are to promote and encourage commerce, support industry, adjust disputes relative 
tp trade and navigation, and procure such jaws and regulations as may be founrj 



1 54 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 




THE NKW YORK COTTON EXCHANGE, 



A TOUR OF THE CITY. 155 

necessary for the benefit of trade in general. The membership at present is about 
800, and includes the leading merchants, financiers, and business men of the city. 
Meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month. The rooms, which are 
very handsome, and well worth a visit, contain the portraits of many of the old 
merchants of New York, and a mass of valuable commercial statistics." — 7'own- 
send. 

Leaving the Produce Exchange we walk eastward through Beaver st., originally 
a canal, leading into the greater inlet which penetrated what is now Broad st. 
Opposite the Exchange is a handsome granite pile, which is the rear of the Welles 
building, whose still grander front of rose granite is at No. 18 Broadway. A clus- 
ter of Atlantic-cable offices will attract attention, The narrow cross street is New, 
which leads northward to Wall. Its tall buildings are filled with commercial 
offices, and the sidewalks are crowded with " curbstone " brokers. One block 
above here, the stranger hears with wonder the shouting that pours steadily out of 
the windows of a huge building on the corner of Exchange Place, and thinks a 
riot must be going on inside, until he learns that the authors of the noise are the 
brokers on the floor of the Consolidated Stock Exchange, the front of whose grand 
building is one of the ornaments of Broadway. 

The next cross-street is Broad — the home of bankers and brokers. Here Beaver 
St. suffers a " jog," and on the other side of Broad there comes suddenly into view 
ahead the great round front of yellow brick, and the conical red roof-tower of the Cot- 
ton Exchange, where all the dealings in cotton in the United States concentrate. 
Here William st. crosses and South William diverges ; and here, on the point just 
opposite the Exchange, Delmonico's restaurant has stood for many years, but is 
now to give place to a nine-story new building, the two lower floors of which will 
be devoted to the same pleasant uses. The Cotton Exchange is nine stories high, 
and with the ground, cost $1,028,000. It reaches through to Hanover Square (see 
Third Av. El. Ry. Route) and has loi offices beyond the rooms used by the Ex- 
change. Across Beaver st. from the Cotton Exchange is the new building of the 
P\-irnier's Loan and Trust Company, 8 stories high and costing a million dollars. 
Just beyond, on the corner of Hanover St., is seen the Post Building, and diago- 
nally opposite is the office of the venerable yiv/;-;/^/ of Commerce. 

■ A few steps farther on we run out of Beaver st. into Pearl st. at the point where 
it crosses 

Wall Street. — "In the neighborhood of old Fort George, were clustered a 
number of the aristocratic families who before the Revolution had been accus- 
tomed to give the/rt.r in fashion, such as the De Lanceys, Livingstons, Morrises, 
Bayards, De Peysters, Crugers ; but for some years Wall St., where abode the 
Winthrops, Whites, Ludlows, Verplancks, and Marstons, had been running an 
even race with Pearl, getting ahead in the end, and holding precedence till Park 
Place claimed the laurels. Cortlandt st. gained luster from the residence there of 
Sir John Temple, Colonel and Lady Kitty Duer, Major Fairlin, and Colonel ancl 



IS6 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Mrs. Crawford, once Mrs. Robert Livingston. In Wall st. was to be found the 
very desirable boarding house of Mrs. Daubenay, or Dabney, the great resort of 
Southern members of Congress. Broadway had been a pleasant bowery street 
until the great fire of 1776 swept through it, leaving desolation in its wake." 

In the early Dutch days Pearl st. was the natural shore line (it owes its sinu- 
osity to that fact — not to its having been a " cow-path " as the story goes) and an 
estuary penetrated the whole length of what is now Broad st. At the head of 
Broad St., where now the Sub-Treasury stands, the Dutch built their first "city 
hall," and there was a tendency to place other buildings between it and the river. 
A portion of the street or beach in front of these houses was in danger of washing 
away at times of storm and high tide, and the prudent burghers protected it by a 
sea-wall. It is to this circumstance that the street, which was presently pushed 
through from the water to the Heere Straat (or Broadway) naturally owes its name, 
and not to the fact that several years before a line of earthworks and stockade had 
been built on nearly the same line, as a protection against the Indians. That fortifi- 
cation was not a " wall," nor at that date (1652) was any street there. At the head 
of Wall St. was the principal "land gate " of the city and at its foot (where we 
now stand) was the " water gate." Not until the beginning of the eighteenth cen- 
tury were any streets north of Wall laid out. All that tract was " Damen's 
farms," as far north as " the Maiden's Path" (Maiden Lane) which "was a very 
ancient road, .... its course through a valley the easiest route of. passage from 
the two great highways along the North and East River sides." 

From the very first. Wall st. became a choice thoroughfare in the growing town, 
where the best people lived, and it retained this character, with little business 
intermingled (except toward the foot of it, where the slave-market stood) until 
after the Revolution. "The financial institutions of the city became concentrated 
here gradually, having been first drawn to the locality and then kept there for some 
time by the fact that nearly all the government buildings stood on the street. The 
City Hall was here before its removal to its present site ; so were the courts, and 
the first Congress of the United States after the adoption of the Constitution 
assembled in a building which covered the site of the present Sub-Treasury." 
Now the name stands not only for the assemblage of great financial institutions 
which line its quarter-mile, but for the whole body of dealings in money and secu- 
rities that go on in New York under the lead of the Stock Exchanges; yet 
the offices of the manipulators of the largest and most influential of the finan- 
cial operations credited to "Wall Street" are often several blocks away from that 
short avenue, whose paving stones might be replaced by gold bricks without exhaust- 
ing the vaults of wealth and the world-wide resources the street represents. 

Let us note a few of the sign boards. The even numbers are on the right-hand 
(northern) side of the street as vye saunter up toward ISroadway. At the nejft 



A TOUR OF THE CITY. 



157 



corner below used to stand the old Tontine Coffee House, and the enormous Ton- 
tine building is now rising on its site. At No. 80, just below Pearl st., is the 
Commercial National Bank, and at No. 76 the Seamen's Bank for Savings. The 
Eagle building is at No. 71, and at 62 the New York branch of the Nevada Bank of 
San Francisco ; but insurance ofifices almost exclusively occupy the numbers from 
72 to 56, together with many ofifices opposite them. In the Brown Brothers' 
building at 59-61 are located, besides the offices of that distinguished firm of bank- 
ers, the New York branches of the Bank of Montreal, the Merchant's Bank of 
Canada, and the Stock Agency of the Canadian Pacific Ry. This brings us to 
Hanover St., and to the U. S. Custom "House, which occupies the whole block on 
the south side of Wall between Hanover and William streets. 



The Custom House is a massive structure of granite, with an Ionic portico 
sustained by fluted pillars of granite and reached by a broad flight of steps which 
together make an imposing effect. The interior is one great rotunda, covered 
by a dome supported upon eight columns of Italian marble, whose Corinthian cap- 
itals were carved in Italy. This was the "floor " of the old Merchants' Exchange 
for which the structure was originally prepared; and it is now filled with an inner 
and outer circle of desks, occupied by those clerks with whom the public has most 
business. A bridge across Exchange Place connects this rotunda with a 
second building where other offices are ; but there is nothing of interest to 
a casual visitor to be seen beyond the rotunda. 

Opposite the Custom House, at No. 54, is the 
lofty brick front of the Central Trust Company : 
at No. 52 are the City Bank, the Bank of British 
North America, financial agencies of several north- 
western railroad companies, the law offices of Sec- 
retary Evarts and his partners, and several other 
important factors in commercial life. No. 50 is 
the abode of the Royal Insurance Co., the German- 
American Bank, agencies for banks in China, and 
other large institutions. In No. 51, at the south- 
west corner of William st., are the Atlantic Mutual 
Insurance Co., and the Phenix National Bank. The 
Bank of America's big building across the street (No. 46) was completed in May, 
1889, at a cost of $1,500,000 and has an income of $100,000 from offices rented to 
such tenants as the Edison electrical companies, the Nicaragua Canal and others 
which take a floor each. 

Then follows a cluster of very striking buildings lately erected, grand in their 
architecture and magnificent in all their interior appointments. In one of these, 
perhaps the most costly and imposing of the group (Nos. 40-42), are domiciled the 
Manhattan Insurance Co., the Merchants' National Bank, the offices of Mr. Sidney 




THE CUSTOM HOUSE. 



158 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Dillon and the western section of the Union Pacific Railway, of Mr. James Hill 
and the Great Northern Railway lines, of one of the Mexican systems, and a 
host of other corporations. This, known as the Manhattan Building, was opened 
in May, 1885, and some of its suites rent as high as $7,500 a year. In the nine- 
story building of the United States Trust Co., at 43-45, are several bankers 
besides the owner, southern and western railway agencies, and the law-office of 
Col. Robt. G. Ingersoll. The cost of this structure was about $700,000. The new 
Orient Building, at No. 41, is to be ten stories in altitude. No. 39 is now tenanted 
by the Metropolitan Trust Company, the Mercantile Co-operative Bank, and the 
Mechanics Bank ; but the last-named is completing a splendid building for itself 
at Nos. 31-33 which will be nine stories high. The lot upon which it stands 
( 1 12 X 43^ ft.) which was acquired by the bank a century ago, is valued at $750,000. 
No. 35 is the Wall-st. wing of the great Mills Building, erected some years ago 
by Senator D. O. Mills, one of the " silver kings " of California, at an expense of 
over $4,000,000. It has frontages of 175 ft. on Broad st, 150 ft. on Exchange 
Place, and 25 ft. on Wall St., is ten stories in height, has 330 rooms, and its eleva 
tors have carried as many as 17,000 people in a day. Here are the headquarters 
in New York of the Central and Southern Pacific railroads (C. P. Huntington); 
the Northern Pacific and Mexican National Railroads ; the Pullman Palace Car 
and Colorado Coal and Iron companies ; the banking rooms of the Seligmans, 
Henry Clews, Senator Leland Stanford, Ex-secretary Whitney, Daniel Lamont 
and other prominent financiers. The beautiful brown stone building opposite 
(No. 36), is occupied by several New England railways, the Gallatin Bank, .S. V. 
White & Co., and several others. No 29 is the old marble house of Drexel, 
Morgan & Co., and contains, besides the extensive offices of that firm, those of the 
Leather Bank. This brings us to the corner of Broad st. ; and into view just 
below on the left of the lofty double front of the Mills Building, with its beauti- 
ful wrought-iron entrance, while on the right, the front of the Stock Exchange 
becomes conspicuous. 

Opposite the head of Broad st., on the right-hand side of Wall St., stand the 
Assay Office and the Sub-Treasury of the United States. 

The Assay Office, No. 30, is the oldest building in the street. It is of marble, 
and represents a handsome style, much in favor for public buildings a century ago. 
It is open to visitors from 2 to 4 p. m., and is well worth examination. " Every 
operation is here carried on that is done in the Mint, except the actual stamping 
of the money. In the front are the offices of the assayer, and the room where 
crude bullion is received and paid for ; and in the six-story building at the rear it 
is assayed, refined, separated, and cast into bars. Gold and silver are here to be 
seen in great profusion, the former generally in bars weighing from 250 to 300 
ounces, and worth from $5,000 to $6,000, and the latter in bars weighing about 200 
ounces, and worth $250. The gold which is used in the arts is generally in thick 
square plates, worth from $100 to $800. The most noticeable curiosities are the 



A rOUR OF THE CITY. 



'59 



Iiydraulic press, by which a great quantity of silver is compressed into a round 
ijody not unlike a milk-pan; the crystallizing vats, where the metal is subjected to 
the action of powerful acids ; and the melting-ro(jm, where at intervals the gold 
and silver are i^oured off. From twenty to one hundred millions of crude bullion 
are here received and assayed in the course of a year." 

The Sub-Treasury is the large Doric building of granite extending from the 
Assay Office to Nassau St., and reaching through to Pine st. in the rear. It stands 
upon the site of the old Dutch City Hall and of the subsequent Federal Buildings, 
where Washington was inaugurated first President of the United States, in 1789. 
The broad flight of steps is now broken by a pedestal bearing J. Q. A. Ward's 
colossal bronze statue of Washington 
taking the oath, which was paid for by 
popular subscription, and unveiled in 
1883. This building was first erected for 
the Custom House, but was long ago out- 
grown and remodeled for its present pur- 
pose. " Within there is a rotunda 60 ft. 
in diameter, the dome being supported by 
16 Corinthian columns. Around this ro- 
tunda are ranged the desks of the various 
divisions of the Sub-Treasury. There are 
two large vaults for the storage of gold 
coin and notes on this floor, and the large 
vaults for the storage of silver are in thk sub-treasury. 

the basement." Near the Pine st. entrance are the two rooms devoted to the 
handling of. gold and silver coin. More money is stored in this building than 
any where else in the country, except in the Treasury vaults at Washington, 
and the majority of the money paid out by the general government is by drafts 
upon this Sub-Treasury. Steel doors and shutters and a well-armed guard protect 
the treasure, and upon the granite roof are facilities for mounting a battery of 
(Jatling guns and otherwise protecting the building against assault. 

The street at the side of the Sub-Treasury is Nassau, which runs straight north 
to City Hall Square. In this lower part it is occupied wholly by banking and 
commercial concerns, as also is Pine st., in the rear of the Sub-Treasury, where the 
bank Clearing House and other large institutions are located. Further on, 
Nassau st. is devoted largely to picture stores, shops for the sale of stationery 
and office supplies, and a great number of second-hand book stores. At its 
upper end the lofty buildings are occupied principally by lawyers, and it finally 
emerges into " Newspaper Square." 

Returning to Wall St., the latest new edifice is the Wilkes, on the southwest 
corner of Wall and Broad sts. It is nine stories high, the material gray sand- 




i6o GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

stone, and the cost ^1,500,000, exclusive of the site. It was opened in May, 
1890. Nos. 14-16 are covered by a wing of the Schermerhorn Building, owned 
by the Astor family, which is full of businessmen; and across the way, at No- 
15, is the entrance to the public gallery of the Stock Exchange. 

The New York Stock Exchange occupies a building extending through 
from Hroad to New St., with a passage-way from 15 Wall st. The fronts — 162 ft. 
on New and 70 ft. on Broad st. — are of marble and granite, and the Board Room 
or " floor " is an immense and lofty apartment on the ground floor, overlooked by 
a gallery to which visitors are admitted. No one except members is allowed upon 
the floor. In the basement are the most extensive safe-de]3osit vaults in the coun- 
try, and the upper stories are occupied by otitices. The hours are from 10 a. m. to 
3 p. m., and members are forbidden to make any transactions except during those 
hours. The dealings are wholly in stocks, bonds and other securities which have 
been recognized or " listed " by the Exchange. The most prominent of these are 
represented by name upon iron standards scattered about the floor, around which 
the selling and buying of those particular securities goes on. One corner is given 
up to less important " miscellaneous " stocks. The general list of stocks and 
bonds is called regularly, and a free list of stocks, etc., is called at the request of 
members. About 250,000 to 300,000 shares of stock change hands daily, and the 
value of the railroad and miscellaneous bonds dealt in is from $2,000,000 to 
$3,000,000. In Government bonds the transactions average about $400,000 in 
amount each day. " Here, day by day, are scores ot men striving for wealth with 
the fierceness of maniacs, and here fortunes are made and lost by that system of 
gigantic gambling which has come to be known as ' dealing in stocks.' The stu- 
dent who complains of the intellectual drain that is put upon him might find con- 
solation in the overwrought and exhausted condition of the men whose brains are 
here occupied in the apparently easy problems of the market. The operations of 
the Stock Exchange and Gold Room concern the whole country both financially 
and industrially, and in times of panic, when millionaires are made and unmade in 
a single day, the wild ravings of the operators on 'Change present a scene never to 
be forgotten by those who witness it. It is here the true governmental center is 
found, rather than at Washington. Wall and Broad sts. dictate to Congress what 
the laws of the country concerning finance shall be, and Congress obeys. The 
Bankers' Association holds the threat over Congress that if their interests are not 
considered they will invoke disaster upon the country; and it is in their power to 
execute the menace. They did it on the memorable Black Friday, the 24th of 
September, 1869, when, by the action of a small but strong combination of 
" bears," gold was made, after a sale of $50,000,000, to fall from 1.60 to 1.30 in 
seventeen minutes. Money was locked up and could not be obtained at 100 per 
cent premium : and thousands of men from Maine to California were ruined. This 
incident, too, was a forerunner of the panic that followed in 1873, when the Union 
Trust Company went into Bankruptcy, and carried with it some of the greatest 
financial houses of the time. The Stock Exchange was closed for the first time of 
its history, and such was the condition of affairs that without its closing not a mer- 
chant or banker could have survived. No contracts could be completed nor 
stocks transferred while the doors of the Exchange were shut, and thus people 
were given, what was absolutely needed, breathing time, without which general 
and utter ruin would have been experienced all over the Union. As it was, not 
less than twenty thousand firms went into bankruptcy, and scarcity of money was 



A TOUR OF THE CITY. 



i6i 



felt in every part of the country, depressing business and checking industry, until 
Congress took measures for the relief of the stringency." 

The Stock Exchange now counts iioo or 1200 members, and the cost of a mem- 
bership or " seat " varies from $20,000 to $30,000. The seats are transferable, 
with the consent of the Committee on Admissions ; and when a memijer dies, or 
becomes insolvent and cannot recover, his seat is sold for the benefit of his heirs 
or creditors. In addition to this, when a member dies his heirs receive $io,ooo 
from the gratuity fund. 

A younger organization, with similar purposes, is 

The Consolidated Petroleum and Stock Exchange, usually called "The 
Consolidated ; " which has occupied since April, 1888, a noble building with large 
accommodations for business, at the 
corner of Broadway and Exchange 
Place. It arose from a consolidation 
of various boards dealing in oil, mining 
and general securities, and began opera- 
tions in 1S75. ^^ ^^'^^ does nearly as 
much business as the older board, and 
the scene from its gallery (the entrance 
to which is on Broadway) is often even 
more animated, since the stocks and 
bonds of oil and mining corporations 
are more fluctuating than those of rail- 
way and telegraph companies. A 
clearing system has been adopted which 
reduces risk to a minimum, only a very 
small amount of money being needed 
to effect balances. 

Tlie hazing and skylarking that 
formerly characterized these two, and 
all the other exchanges, is now sharply 
repressed and limited only to " white- 
hat day " (Sept. 15) and a few other 
festive occasions, when the exuberant 
spirits of the younger brokers are given 
vent. Any disputes which arise are 
speedily settled by committees of ar- 
bitration. 

No. 10 Wall St., at the head of New St., is the splendid Astor Building, occu- 
pied by the Manhattan Trust Co., and many other bankers and brokers. The 
grand new yellow brick structure opposite,' (Nos. 9-1 1) is the Mortimer Building. 
This brings us to the corner of Broadway, where rise the massive walls of the 
United Bank Building. Here are the rooms of its joint owners, the First Na- 
tional Bank, and the Bank of the Republic; of several private banking firms; 
of the Richmond Terminal and several other southern and western rail- 
ways; and here General Grant had his offices during his brief and ill-fated 
career in the "street." 




%d.\'Cr^!fi^'f 



THE CONSOLIDATED EXCH.^NGE. 



t62 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 



Banks. — New York City has some 50 
national banks, issuing currency, and hav- 
ing a combined capital of fifty millions of 
dollars, varying in amount from $150,000 
to $5,000,000. These banks are scattered 
all over town, but those most influential 
are in Wall st. and neighborhood. The 
stock of many of these has advanced to, 
and remains at, astonishingly high figures, 
that of the Chemical Bank (whose capital 
is only $300,000) standing at about twelve 
times its par value, while several others 
approach this excessive premium. Besides 
the national banks more than 40 other 
banks, organized under State laws, are 
established in the city, and represent 18 or 
20 millions capital. The msostprominent 
of these is the Bank of North America. 
Many foreign banks, like the Bank of 
Montreal (which, by the way, is the strong- 
est financial institution in the world, out- 
side of the Bank of England) and some 
other Canadian Banks, the California and 
Nevada banks of San Francisco, and oth- 
ers, have permanent agencies here ; there 
area dozen or so "trust companies" and 
many private bankers The savings banks, 
closely supervised bv the State, now num- 
ber 25, and are scattered all over town. 
The aggregate capital of the banks of the 
city, as reported last year, is $65,012,700, 
to which must be added $53,658,500 sur- 
plus, — total $118,671,200. Since 1853 
all these banks have met to exchange 
checks and square a daily balance 
among themselves in an exchange or 
association called the Clearing House, 
the operations of which exceeds $150,000,- 
000 daily. 

The Clearing House is at No. 14 Pine St., and is in charge of a manager 
and assistant manager. Its operations are concisely and clearly described, and 
pictures of its interior are given in an- article in Tlie Cosviofolitaii for June, 1888, 
to which the reader is referred. The Clearing House, however, has nothing to 
show the mere sight-seer, even if he could gain admittance. 




UNION TRUST COMPANY. 



Broadway to the City Hall. 

Some of the noblest and costliest business structures in the city stand on Broad- 
way below Wall st. At No. i is the exceedingly lofty Washington (or Field's) 



A TOUR OF THE CITY. 



163 



Building. At No. 18, next above the Produce Exchange, the grand front of the 
Welles Building appears. No. 26 is covered by the massive structure of the 
Standard Oil Company. At No. 45 the beautifully ornamented facade and 
antique entrance of Aldrich Court will be 
admired ; this structure cost more than 
$1,000,000, yet its owners are about to 
build a second still more costly one far- 
ther down the street. The Consolidated 
Exchange, at the corner of New St., and 
The Tower, at No. 50, are conspicuous 
buildings ; the last named stands on a lot 
only 22 ft. wide, yet it runs up to 13 stories 
(167 ft.) and contains 120 offices. All of 
these, like most of those mentioned in 
Wall St., are new, architecturally impos- 
ing, splendidly fitted within, and return a 
fair rate of interest upon the investment. 
There is a greater demand for good oifi- 
ces in the neighborhood of this mone- 
tary center than has yet been supplied, 
although as high as $10 a square foot is 
asked for many of the suites. The ex- 
pense of maintaining a building like the 
Welles or Aldrich Court, approaches $40,000 a year. 

This brings us to Trinity Church, surrounded by its historic churchyard and 
lookmg straight down Wall st., 

" Where Jews and Gentiles most are wont, 
To throng for trade and last quotations, — 

Where, hour by hour, the rates of gold 
Outrival in the ears of people. 

The quarter-chimes serenely told 
From Trinity's undaunted steeple." 

But this noble house of worship is fully described in the chapter on Sunday, 
and need not be repainted here, further than to say that the church yard and the 
church itself are open at all suitable hours to visitors. The climbing of the 
steeple used to be one of the " things to do," but now an equally good view of the 
city and its environs may be had from the roofs of the Washington or Equitable 
buildings, or from the tower of the Produce Exchange, to each of which the visitor 
is carried by an elevator. The long yellow office-building on the northern side of 
the churchyard was erected by the trustees of the property, and is regarded as a 




ALDRICH COURT. 



i64 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

highly desirable one, since a gratifying amount of light and air are admitted from 
all sides. Just above is the Boreel Building (No. 119) largely occupied by insur- 
ance companies, and directly across the way, at No. 120, rises the palatial home of 
the Equitable Life Assurance Society, known far and wide as the Equitable Build- 
ing. 

The Equitable. — This towering and sumptuous structure should not be 
neglected by the sight-seer. Its broad ground-floor corridor runs straight through 
to Nassau st., and forms a brilliant arcade, paved, walled and adorned with vari- 
colored marbles, and illuminated by electricity, along which elegant little shops 
and restaurants are arranged. The letter shute and pneumatic despatch tubes on 
this floor should be looked at, too. In the basement are a grand array of 
hydraulic pumps and other machinery, and the largest electric lighting plant in 
the city devoted to a single establishment. Taking any one of the several eleva- 
tors the visitor may be carried to the top story and ascend to the roof, where an 
extensive view of the city is obtained, — a pleasure which no one ought to forego. 
Descending, he may examine the gorgeously decorated offices and law library of 
the company, on the second floor. The offices in this building are always fully oc- 
cujjied, though some of them rent for as high as %\o a square foot of floor space. 

Liberty st., one of the few that cross lower Broadway, and which is devoted 
largely to machinery depots; Cortlandt St., leading down to the Jersey City ferry; 
Maiden Lane, the abode of jewelers, dealers in diamonds and gems, and the 
makers of instruments of precision; Dey st., with the Western Union Telegraph 
Company's building on the corner, and John st., opening eastward, are crossed in 
succession, as one walks on up Broadway. The tall new building at John and 
Jhoadway is owned by Austin Corbin, and occupied by the Long Island R. R. 
Co., the Chatham and Corbin banks, etc. 

This brings us to Fulton st., named in honor of the man, who, if not wholly 
the originator, was certainly the practical inventor of the steamboat. It is an 
extremely busy street, all the way down to Fulton Market on one side, and to 
Washington Market on the other. The lofty home of The Evening Post, erected 
by William Cullen Bryant and his partners, stands upon the southeast corner, and 
"begins the long cafalogue of newspapers which congregate between here and the 
Brooklyn Bridge. The Commercial Advertiser (founded in 1797) is one block 
down Fulton st. at the corner of Nassau; and only a few steps above Fulton St., 
on the corner of Broadway and Ann, is the ornamental marble front of The Herald 
office. The opposite block, between Fulton and Vesey, is occupied by old St. 
Paul's and its churchyard (see Sunday) ; and the venerable Astor House (see 
Hotels) fills the succeeding block from Vesey to Barclay. 

Here, at the parting of the ways, the motley pile of the Post Office rears its huge 
bulk, with the City Hall in its rear. Broadway stretches northward west of it; to 
the right Park Row leads off at an angle toward Chatham sq. and the Bowery. 
The rush and turmoil of traffic here are indescribable. Make your way across to 



Lehigh Valley Railroad 



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Tlae Mountain and Valley Scenery traversed by this Line is 
Unsurpassed in Grandeur and Scenic Beauty. 



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TICKET OFFICES: 

NEW YORK— General Eastern Office, No. 2;i5 Broadway, and 180 East 125th 
Street: Depot loot of Cortlandt Street; IJepot foot of Desbrosses .Street; all 
the offices of the Pennsylvania Railroad and New York Transfer Company. 

BROOKLYN— Pennsylvania Annex, foot of Fulton Street, and 3:29 Cumber- 
land Stre.'t. 

E. B. BYINCTON, A. W. NONNEMACHER, 

General Passenger Agent, General Ticket Agent, 

SOUTH BETHLEHEM, PA. SOUTH BETHLEnE:\[, PA. 

W. B. SM3TH, General Eastern Passenger Agent, 
235 Broadway, New York. 



A TOUR OF THE CITY. 



i6s 



the more peaceful Post Office side of Park Row, and walk slowly northward with 
your eye upon the sign-boards that almost cover the fronts of the old, but large, 
buildings that face you. They are nearly all the names of newspapers — dailies and 
weeklies known all over the country, besides many you never heard of. Here, to 
mention only a few, are the publication and editorial offices of the N'ews, Press, 
Mail and Express and others among dailies. The Star has its office just opposite 




THE EQUITABLE BUILDING (See page 164.) 

in Broadway. Beekman st. (named from that old farmer and tanner who owned 
all this region and " the swamp " besides long decades ago, and founded one of the 
wealthiest of Knickerbocker families) strikes across Park Row, passes (by Mail st.) 
to Broadway and continues, under the name of Park Place, westward to North 
River. A few doors down Beekman is Temple Court, the lofty and elegant busi- 
ness home of the Nassau Bank and of countless lawyers. On the other side of 
Beekman the immense iron and stone mass of the Potter Building rises skyward, 
where The World used to be printed ; and next beyond, covering the point between 



1 66 GUIDE 'TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Park Row and Nassau St., is the new Times building, grandly beautiful in archi- 
tecture and notable in its construction, since the old building which it replaced 
was not taken down, nor the work of its occupants interrupted while the new walls 
arose around and far above them. The Obsen^er, Moore's Rural Neiu Yorker, 
Forest and Stream, are only a few of the weekly newspapers whose offices may be 
found in these buildings or further down Park Row. 

At the head of Nassau St. and just across from City Hall Park, is Printing House 
Square, an open paved space in the center of which stands a statue of Benjamin 
Franklin, erected in 1872, after the design of Plassman and at the expense of 
Capt. De Groot, formerly a steamboat commander on the Hudson ; while Ward's 
statue of Horace Greeley is seated just in front of T/ie Tribune. Around this 
limited space, within easy hail of one another, and in the tallest group of buildings 
on Manhattan Island, are iDublished the Times, Tribune, Sun, Journal, World, 
and Staats Zeitung, while the Star, Press and several daily newspapers in foreign 
lant^uages are issued within a quarter of a mile. Here is the newspaper center of 
New York ; and these precincts are hardly less wide awake and active at mid- 
night than at midday, for in addition to the workers upon the local press scores 
of correspondents are busy dispatching the metropolitan news to out-of-town 
journals. 

A visit to the offices of one of these " great dailies " would form an interesting 
item in the list of things to be seen; but it is scarcely practicable, except by invi- 
tation. The only hours of interest are late at night, when the whole staff, editors, 
reporters, compositors and printers are intensely busy ; it is not until after two 
o'clock in the morning that the gigantic presses begin to run, and to toss off their 
hundreds of newspapers a minute. 

The City Hall and Court-House, etc., will be found described in an earlier 
chapter to which the reader is referred. A moment may be spent in running up 
to the " Governor's room," to get a glimpse of Washington's furniture and some 
good portraits of public men. If you have no other opportunity to go upon the 
Brooklyn Bridge (which see), it would be well to walk out a few hundred feet upon 
the promenade ; or, better yet, spare 15 minutes for a trip across it in the cars and 
return. 

Up Broadway and across to Second Avenue. 

Having completed our sight-seeing in and around the City Hall, let us now take 
a horse-car on Broadzoay and ride up the central part of that great thoroughfare. 

We traverse the wholesale district nearly all the way, and pass a long line of 
railway offices and miscellaneous agencies. Among them, however, are tucked 
many retail stores: while here and there a hotel, like the Grand Central (once 
owned by Jim Fisk, and in which he was shot), the Metropolitan and others 
attract attention. Many widely known names will be observed upon the signs, 



A TOUR OF THE CITY. 167 

Avhere the prevalence of Hebrew patronymics is notable; but no remarkable 
examples of architecture— except those buildings remarkably bad, — are to be seen. 
At E. 4th St., we stop the car, and getting off walk to the right (one block) into 
Lafayette Place, a spacious street extending four blocks north and south, from 
Great Jones (E. 3d) st. to Astor Place. The great brick structure at the foot of the 
Place is an establishment in which several Roman Catholic benevolent agencies 
are housed. On the opposite northeast corner of E. 4th st., the DeVinne Press is 
conspicuous ; there is where The Century and St. iViiho/as and the fine publica- 
tions of the Grolier Club are printed. Just above, on the right, an old residence 
is occupied by the " Middle " Dutch Ref. Church— the oldest organization in the 
city (See Churches). Its meeting-house stood opposite until recently. The yel- 
low front a few doors beyond, where tables can be seen through the windows, is 
tlie Aldine Club, whose members are publishers and literary workers ; it is the 
favorite luncheon jjlace of men of that numerous ilk in this quarter of town. Op- 
posite, the late Father Drumgoold's IVcwslwys' Lodging House is showy with yellow 
brick and elaborate stone carvings : this establishment is due wholly to the 
remarkable laliors in that field of a single-hearted priest, and was paid for by a 
mass of small contributions, in 1886. Its cellar is said to contain a deep well 
miraculously filled with water after the engineers and well-diggers had abandoned 
work in despair. The long line of Corinthian pillars beyond it supports the por- 
tico of a hotel suitably named The Colonnade. Sieghortner's restaurant (the Ger- 
man Delmonico) and the offices of T/ie Christian Union are opposite. Then the 
grand brown-stone fa5ade of the Astor Library rears itself upon the right (see 
Libraries) and a moment may be spared to enter and glance at the book-covered 
walls of its three great rooms. 

This brings us nearly to the head of the Place, where the convergence of Astor 
Place a7id 8t/i st. forms an opening, where, not so many years ago, was the south- 
ern boundary fence of the farm of Capt. Richard Randall, the founder of the 
.Sailor's Snug Harbor on Staten Island. At the time of his death, in 1801, the 
large farm here and his well-known octagonal house were valued at about $40,000; 
this endowment was so invested as now to be worth about $15,000,000. Upon the 
wedge between Astor Place and 8th st. now occupied by the tall and handsome 
new structure of the Mercantile Library, stood, until 1890, a noble brick structure 
called Clinton Ha'll. It was built as a theatre, half a century ago; and at its 
doors in May, 1849, occurred the Astor Place riot, precipitated by the rivalry 
between the American actor Forrest, and the English actor Macready, which 
resulted in a mobbing of the latter's company and friends at the close of a per- 
formance, and the loss of several lives. 

Let us now turn to the right and walk westward towards Second av. Fourth 
av. is at once encountered, looking down which to the right the upper end of the 



l68 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Bowery is seen. On the point of land opposite, between the divergence of Fourth 
and Third avs. from the Bowery, is the pile of brown stone sheltering the schools 
and reading rooms of the Cooper Union, for which a moment may be spared, run- 
ning in by the rear stairways, underneath which are the entrances into the huge 
subterranean lecture hall. The massive brick across the way from the rear of the 
Cooper Union is the Bible House (See Sunday). 

Continuing along 8th st. we cross Third av. underneath its elevated railway (9th st. 
station) and walk on past the short Stuyvesant Place, which takes its name from 
that old Knickerbocker, the last of the Dutch governors. He owned the lands here- 
about, lived in a big stone farmhouse on the Bowery, and was buried in 167 1 at his 
chapel, just beyond, upon the site of which now stands St. Mark's Church, (else- 
where described) within a green plat at the corner of 8th st. and Second av. The 
large modern church beyond, facing us across the street as we come to St. Mark's 
and Second av., is the Baptist Tabernacle, built in 1850, but remodeled since. 

Stuyvesant Square and Gra mercy Parti. 

We now turn up Seco)id av. and find ourselves in a handsome thoroughfare, the 
houses along which (in this part) are almost wholly occupied by wealthy and influ- 
ential Germans. On the corner of nth st. the building of the iV. Y. Historical 
Society will be noticed, and two blocks further the N. Y, Eye and Ear Infirmary. 
At the left-hand corner of 14th st. stands the old Fourteenth Street Presbyterian 
Church. The house of Senator William M. Evarts is at No. 231, on the opposite 
corner ; and at 15th st. we find the beautiful Stnyvesant Square, occupying the space 
of four blocks, filled with fine old trees, and surrounded by elegant residences. 
This was a part of the Stuyvesant property, and its west side is bounded by Ruth- 
erford Place, keeping the name of another old family, whose descendants dwell 
near by. The double-towered church overlooking the square is St. George'' s (Prot. 
Epis.), which is said to have the largest seating capacity of any church in the city 
except the R. C. Cathedral. Beside it are the Rutherford Place Friends' Meeting 
House and school (Quaker) — plain brick structures without steeples or ornament. 
On this square remain many old New York families — the Fish's, Stuyvesants, De 
Voes, Rutherfords, and others. It is a charming dwelling place. 

Above Stuyvesant square. Second av. grows more business-like; and leaving it 
we turn eastward and walk through E. 20th st., which in this block is mainly given 
up to private stables. We re-cross Third av. under its " L " road, and presently 
come to the fashionable seclusion of Gramercy Park. The tall Gramercy Park Hotel 
overshadows us, — the home of Emma Thursby, Minnie Palmer, and many society 
people. A moment later we cross the head of Irving Place, which has that name 
from here south to 14th st., but north of the park becomes Lexington av. and runs 
Straight to Harlem. 



CHECK YOUR BAGGAGE AT YOUR HOUSE TO 
POINT OF DESTINATION. 




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Baggage Checked from Hdtel or Residence to Destin tion. Through 
Checks Furnished when Baggage is Collected. 



SPECIAL DELIVERY 



BETWEEN POINTS IN 



New York, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, 
Baltimore, and Washington. 



Baggage checked fi-om hotel oi- residence and delivered to hotel or resi- 
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depot. No inconvenience of hunting up baggage at destination. 



OFFICES OF THE COMPANY. 

«44 Broadwiiy (bet. 22d and 23d Sts., East Side), . . . New York 

l;W.3 Broadway (bet. 34rh and 35th Sts., West Side), 

849 Bro idway (bet. 13th and 1 4th Sts., West Side), ... 

1 Astor House (N. W. Cor. Broadway and Vesey St.), ■. " 

737 Sixth Avenue (N. W. Cor. 42d St.). ... 

.'iil Seventh Avenue (N. E. Cor. 3^th St.), ..... " 

1170 Ninth Avenue Cnear Cor. 72d St.), . " 

Grand Central Depot (on 4ed St., N. Y. & N. H. R. R.), . . " 

Pennsylvania R. R. Depot (foot of Deslrosses St.), . " 

" " (foot of Cortlandt St.), 

Central R. R. of N. J. Depot (foot of Liberty St.), ... 
4 Court Street (City Hall Square), ....... Brooklyn 

!5'.J Nassau Street (near Washington St.), '• 

860FultonStree'. (Cor. Clinton Avenue), ..... " 

98 Broadway, Williamsburgh 

134 East 12.5th Street (S. W. Cor. Lexington Avenu ■). . Harlem 

2G4 West 125th Street (near Cor. 8th Avenue) .... " 

18 Exchange Place (near Ferry), Jersey City 

789 Broad Street, ....... Newark, N. J. 

P. R. R. Station (Market St.), 



j^^°°The public may rely on the prompt transaction of all business 
entrusted to this Company. 

K*r" Address all communications for inattention, incivility, or delays to 
the Executive Office, 1323 Broadway, New Y'ork, N. Y. 



A TOUR OF THE CITY. 169 

Gramercy Park, whose name commemorates the old Gramercy farm, is the 
property of the owners of the surrounding property, and its i)rivileges go with 
their title-deeds. Its gites are opened only by these proprietors, and its pleasant 
walks are reserved for the nurses and children of the neighboring families. Here 
dwells an aristocratic colony of old and wealthy families, who have thus far 
withstood the advance of the commercial tide northward, among whom are many 
well-known persons. On this 20th st. side, at Nos. 116-11S was the home of the 
late Governor Samuel J- Tilden. which is said to contain greater treasures of fur- 
niture, books and bric-a-brac than any other residence in the city. It is a palace 
among palaces. Ne.xt to it, at No. 120 is the club house of The Flayers, de- 
scribed under Clubs. Other residents are Cyrus W. P'ield, to whom we owe the 
Atlantic cables, and now the principal stockholder in the elevated railwavs ; Justice 
David Dudley Field, of the U. S. Supreme Court ; Mrs. Conrtlandt Palmer, at 
whose house, during the life -of her husband, the Nineteenth Century Club was 
wont to meet ; John Bigelow, Abram Hewitt and the Coopers, Edwin Booth, 
the tragedian, William Steinway, of piano fame, Nicholas Fish, Brander Matthews, 
the dramatist, Joseph Howard, of newspaper repute, and many professional 
musicians — especially singers and vocal teachers, of whom Signors Agramonte 
and Errani are most widely known. 

Union Square and Central Broadway. 

Let us walk on through E. 20th st., as far as Fourth av. On this corner stands 
the red-and-white Church of All Souls, where Dr. Bellows used to preach. On 
the next corner below is the Battle of Gettysburg cyclorama ; and at Fourth aV. 
and i8th st. the immense Florence, — the largest of the down-town apartment 
houses, and one of the most elegant. One block more and we reach 

Union Square. — We enter it at its quietest (northeast) corner, where E. 17th 
St. crosses Fourth av. The Everett House is on our right, and the Clarendon 
Hotel on the left. A broad paved space called The Plaza, borders this northern 
side, and may be illumined at night by the picturesque row of lamps along the 
curbing. Here military parades and out-door meetings are often held, the 
speakers finding a rostrum on the balcony of the Sanitary Cottage. Overlooking 
this plaza are the windows of Tlie Century and St. Nicholas editorial rooms. The 
Square itself is an oval park of three acres or so, shaded by large trees, and orna- 
mented by a handsome fountain and statues. On the Fourth av. side are a row of 
hotels, restaurants and shops, among which the Singer Sewing Machine office is 
tallest. South of the Square runs the busy line of 14th st. — where the Union 
Square Theatre, the Morton House and several fine shops are conspicuous. 
Here, in the midst of a paved space, stands an equestrian statue of George 
Washington. It is of heroic size, was modelled by Mr. H. K. Browne, and holds 
an outstretched hand as if in remonstrance at the wrangles of the crowd of news- 
boys who assemble here every afternoon to buy newspapers from the delivery 
carts of the News, Sun, World, Telegram and other evening newspapers. 



GUIDE TO NEW YORJs: CITY. 



Straight against the southern end of the square breaks the whole traffic-current 
of IJroadway, to swerve to the west of it, and sweep in an augmented tide along its 
further side, where 14th st. adds its quota. Here, where the crowd is densest, has 
been ])laced that bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln, seated in the chair of state 
with the emancipation proclamation in his hand, which was erected by popular 
subscription soon after Lincoln's assassination. The sculptor is H. K. Browne, 
who is thought to have succeeded better than he did with the equestrian Washing- 
ton, just mentioned, at the other corner of the .Square. Between these two 
bronzes of heroic size, and facing down Broadway, stands the life-sized figure of 
Lafayette, which was designed by Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Liberty statue in 
the harbor, and erected in 1876 at the cost of the French residents of the city. 

" It represents a man of 
graceful figure and handsome, 
ojDen face, in the act of making 
offer of his sword to the coun- 
try he admired — the country 
that sorely needed his aid. 
The left hand is extended as 
if in greeting and friendly self- 
surrender, and the right hand, 
which holds the sword, is 
pressed against the breast as if 
implying that his whole heart 
goes vith his sword. The 
statue well expresses the warm 
and generous devotion which, 
as we all know, the French 
Marquis rendered to this coun- 
try during the War of the 
Revolution, and is a fitting me- 
morial to the noble friend of 
Washington and of America." 

Up Broadway. — A very 
handsome drinking fountain is 
among the ornaments on the 
west side of Union Square ; and 
opposite it, hang the signs of 
w e 1 1-known merchants. Be- 
ginning at 14th St., and not at- 
tempting to note all of them, 
the stroller up Broadway passes 
the Lincoln Building, Brentano's 
THE LINCOLN BUILDING. i^ews and periodical shop, and 

then Tiffany's great storehouse of jewels and articles de virtu. Schirmer's and 








A TOUR OF THE CITY. 171 

Pond's music stores, the piano house of Decker Bros., and Sarony's and Rock- 
wood's photograph galleries are next noticeable. Then we enter upon 

The Ladies' Half-mile. — Just around the corner, in E. i8th st., is the 
office of Bt'IforcVs Magazine and the bazaar of the First Japanese Trading 
Company. Many artists have studios in this neighborhood. Between i8th 
and 19th sts. Vantine's great Japanese store, and Arnold & Constable's dry- 
goods house nearly fill the block on the left, with Sloane's carpet house on 
the right. All along here jewelers, fruit-sellers, and other shops make a brave 
window-show. The isolated house (the home of the Gillette family) standing on 
the northeast corner of rgth st., is a grim relic of the days when this part of 
Broadway was filled with residences whose owners never expected to be driven 
away so soon. Opposite it is the Gorham Silver Company, and next 
beyond are the art-furniture depot of Hertz Brothers on the right and 
Lord & Taylor's immense establishment on the left. In the next block 
(20th to 21st sts.) the Continental Hotel and Purssell's bakery and restaurant 
nearly fill the space on the right, and on the left is a row of gay shops, and one of 
Park & Tilford's big grocery stores. At 21st st. Broadway begins to widen out, 
and is filled on both sides with the offices of many railway and express companies, 
telegraph stations, etc. The Bartholdi Hotel occupies the right hand corner of 23d 
St. ; and from the roof of the small triangular Erie Railway office, between Broad- 
way and Fifth av., the " stereopticon " man shows his nightly array of picturesque 
advertisements, thrown on a screen against the lofty side of the Cumberland Hotel. 
On the night of important election days, he exposes the returns as fast as re- 
ceived, and great crowds fill the open spaces in 23d st., and along Madison sq. to 
which we have now returned. 

A Ride up Fifth Avenue. 

Crossing Madison Square, described in the beginning of the present chapter, 
we stop one of the Fifth Avenue stages, and climbing to a seat upon its roof, 
prepare to enjoy a ride up America's grandest street. 

" Fifth Avenue," to quote a recent eulogist, "is the Belgravia of the American 
metropolis, the center of its fashion and splendor, the home of its merchant- 
princes. It is at its best on a pleasant Sunday, at the time when the churches are 
out ; or on a bright afternoon, when its long line of carriages are rumbling away 
toward the park. From Washington Square to Central Park, a distance of two 
miles and a half, it presents an unbroken array of splendid dwellings and noble 
churches, except here and there in its lower portion, where business establishments 
which deal, for example, in musical instruments, pictures, jewelry, and articles of 
a costly and ornamental nature, have encroached on its fashionable private charac- 
ter. Many of the structures in this long line of costly domiciles possess marked 
beauty of architectural design, and all are built in fine massive blocks and chiefly 
of brown stone. Here, indeed, on every side are gorgeous club houses, churches 



172 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

notable for theii" beauty and a domestic architecture of rare variety and comfort, 
with picture galleries and rich porticos, and long vistas of Connecticut brown- 
stone palaces, the homes of incalculable wealth and splendor. In spite of the 
uniformity of appearance which conies of a general use of the same building mate- 
rial, and a similar style of structure, sufficient variety and character are given the 
thoroughfare, by numerous magnificent church edifices and the few hotels and 
private dwellings of a different style of architecture, to relieve the sombre and 
massive dignity which would otherwise stamp the aspect of the street. To 
describe in detail the many objects of interest 4;o be seen on this avenue would 
require more space than we have at command- It has been appropriately said, 
that an inquisitive visitor should, on taking a- stroll up Fifth avenue, be accom- 
panied by a herald-at-arms, a mercantile register, an elite directory, and a wise 
old clubman with his stores of personal and family gossip." 

Delmonicd's and the Brunswick at 26th st. are beside us as we start, the latter 
running to 27th st. on the right, while the great Victoria Hotel, owned by Mrs. 
Paran Stevens, is on the southwest corner of 27th st. The office of the sportsmen's 
magazine. Outing, is in the next block on the right; and all along the street in 
this neighborhood will be noticed shops for the sale of pictures, bric-a-brac, fine 
furniture, foreign books and fashionable costumes and millinery, for " the 
Avenue " has been invaded by business during the last few years with astonishing 
rapidity. The Forum is another magazine published in this locality and farther 
up are others of less notoriety. At No. 244 (southwest cor. 28th, lives Mrs. 
Paran Stevens, opposite the tall Knickerbocker flats ; at 236 are the rooms of the 
Ohio Society ; at 267 (northeast cor. 29th st.) those of the " swell " Cahtmet Club. 
On the northwest corner of 29th st. stands the imposing stone Collegiate {Dutch 
Reformed) Church (see Sunday) ; this church was organized in 1623, but the 
present building dates from 1854. The Knickerbocker Club is on the northeast cor- 
ner of 32d. and the houses on the left, filling the whole block between 33d and 34th 
sts., are the Astor houses, the first the home of the late John Jacob, and the second 
that of William Waldorf Astor, the present head of this, the wealthiest family in 
America. At No. 319 are the rooms of the Coaching Club. 

This brings us to 34th, one of the prominent cross-streets, beyond which rises 
the gentle incline of 

Murray Hill, — This name is applied to all the elevated region covering 
several blocks in this neigborhood, where, twenty years ago, was clustered that 
fashionable class, which now is usually designated " the four hundred." It took its 
name from the mansion (" Incleberg") and family of Robert Murray, an eminent 
Quaker merchant of the Revolutionary period, and father of the grammarian, 
Lindley Murray. It was his patriotic wife, who, by her personal charms, conversa- 
tion and wine, detained the British officers here on the day they crossed over from 
Long Island long enough to allow Putnam to pass safely by with the remnant of 
the American army, hidden by intervening woods, and join Washington's forces 
on Harlem Heights. This mansion is said to have stood close by where 37th st. 
now crosses the avenue. 



A TOUR OF THE CITY. 173 

Tlie Italian-looking palace of white marble, standing upon a terrace at the left, 
is the mansion built and occupied by A. T. Stewart. It is said to have cost, fur- 
nished, $3,000,000, and has been leased for a long time by the Manhattan Club, 
who pay $37,000 a year rent. Judge Hilton, Stewart's e.xecutor, lives near by. 
The small building next beyond is a gallery for the exhibition and sale of pictures, 
etc. ; and next beyond that (southwest cor. 35th st.) is the house of the New York 
Club, — an old mansion for which $250,000 was paid before remodeling. The block 
between 36th and 37th sts., on the right, is taken up by the house of Pierre 
Lorillard. On the left, the beautifully carved front of Mr. J. C. Drayton's house 
at No. 374 will attract admiration ; the St. Nicholas Club is on the southwest 
corner of 36th St., in the old homestead of Gov. E. D. Morgan ; at No. 400, in the 
next block, lives Robert G. Ingersoll ; and on the next corner is " Sherry's " — a 
rival for dinners and dances to Delmonico's. The northwest corner of 37th st. 
is the site of the Brick Chtirch (Dr. Van Dyke's, Presbyterian). On the right, 
between 37th and 38th sts., live the Webbs, Turnures and Van Aukens ; on the 
northeast corner of 38th st., Austin Corbin, and next door (429) was the home 
of the late Henry Bergh. At No. 435 is the club house of Delta Kappa Epsilon ; 
and at the corner of 39th st. rises the very conspicuous front of the Union League 
Club, near where the Rutgers' house used to stand, when this was a rural suburb 
of the young city. The only remaining house on that block is the splendid home 
of Fred. W. Vanderbilt, No. 459. The large isolated house nearly opposite is that 
of Mrs. Mary Wendell. At 450 is the Republican Club, and the next two blocks 
on that (left-hand) side, from 40th to 42d sts., are given up to the Distributing 
Reservoir, behind which is Bryant Park, where the Crystal Palace was erected 
for the great exhibition of 1857. Several fine new buildings have been constructed 
opposite the reservoir within a few years, the lower stories of which are devoted to 
business and the upper stories to flats. The Cohitnbia Bank Building, on the 
corner of 42d st, is regarded as one of the architectural gems of the city, and 
deserves special attention in that respect ; its upper stories are divided into 
bachelors' suites. 

Forty-second st. is the great thoroughfare east and west of this middle part of 
town, and the massive walls and roofs of the Grand Central Depot will be seen at 
the right. On the northern corners are two prominent private hotels, the Bristol 
and the Hamilton. At 506, next beyond the Bristol, is the city house of Russell 
Sage, whose real home is in Ithaca, N. Y. ; and opposite him on the northeast 
corner of 43d St., stands the beautiful Synagogue Emmanu-El, the leading Hebrew 
congregation. The Cd'w/'z/^'j'j new club house is to be built on the other corner. 
The Sherwood, on the corner of 44th st., is an expensive private hotel. The church 
on the southwest corner of 45th st. is the Divine Paternity (Rev. Chas. H. Eaton); 
and that diagonally opposite, with the angels upon the four corners of the tower, is 



174 GUIDE ro NEW YORK CITY. 

the Church of the Heavenly Rest {'^&\. D. P. Morgan). The great Windsor Hotel ViO-^ 
fills the block upon the right from 46th to 47th sts., opposite which lives Joseph 
\V. Harper, of Harper & Brothers (No. 562). Jay Gould occupies the house, No. 
579, on the northeast corner of 47th st. ; and that on the next (southeast cor. 
48th St.) is the home of Robert Goelet. The beautiful church with flying but- 
tresses on the left, is the meeting-house of another congregation of the Collegiate 
Dutch Reforn'ied Church, and was erected in 1872. Two grand residences fill the 
block on the left between 47th and 48th sts. : in the first (604) lives Wm. P. 
Draper ; and in the second Ogden Goelet. The Belgravia and Buckingham hotels 
occupy most of the next block on the right; and the Cathedral (which see) fills 
the block from 50th to 51st sts., next beyond. The marble buildings in the rear 
are the residence of the Archbishop and the Rectory, where his assistants dwell. 
Behind them, on Madison av., may be seen the palatial block occupied by White- 
law Reid, editor of The Trilnuie, Roswell Smith (chief owner of The Century) and 
others. Opposite the Cathedral, at No. 634, lives D. O, Mills, the California 
millionaire, and then come " ^/^i? Vanderbilt housesP The first of these, on the 
northwest corner of 51st St., is where Wm. H. Vanderbilt lived, and where 
his widow is still domiciled ; connected with it is the second (No. 642) extending 
to 52d St. which is the home of Mr. Vanderbilt's daughter and her husband, 
Wm. D. Sloane. His next neighbor. No. 2 W. 52d St., is Col. Elliott F. 
Shepard, another relative, and the editor of the Alail and Express. On the other 
side of 52d st. (No. 660) is the home of W. K. Vanderbilt, former president of the 
New York Central Ry. and present head of the house. Mrs. Osgood, a sister, 
lives at No. 697 Fifth av. 

The institution just beyond the Cathedral is the R. C. Orphan Asylum, the 
girls' department of which is seen in the rear, on Madison av. St. Thotnas''s Church 
occupies the northwest corner of 53d st., and at 54th st. are the houses of H. M. 
Flagler (No. 685) and of W^m. Rockefeller (No. 689), President of the Standard 
Oil Company, filling the two corners on the right, while Calvin S. Brice dwells at 
693, just beyond. These are opposite St. Luke's Hospital : and the next objects of 
special interest are the Plaza (and the new Plaza Hotel) at the 59/// st. entrance to 
Central Park. 

The Avenue now overlooks the most improved portion of the park, and away at 
the left, down 59th st., can be seen the tall and handsome fa9ades of the De Na- 
varro row of apartment houses, described on page 173. On the right the line of beau- 
tiful mansions continues, becoming more varied and interesting in architecture as 
we proceed, and all are the houses of people locally prominent in business, politics 
or society, but the fortress-like liuilding of \.\\& Lenox Library, and the grand new 
structure of the Progress Club will attract most attention. Between 66th and 67th 
st.s., is a block of houses built entirely different from any others on the street, and 



A TOUR OF THE CITY. 175 

at the same time presenting a pleasing appearance. One of them is occupied by 
Mrs. Barrios, the widow of General Barrios, the Central American Dictator. 
Lenox Library occupies the square from 70th to 71st sts., and there are two 
very fine houses beyond this — one is in white marble, and the other resembles a 
French chateau. By the time you have reached the park gate at 8ist st., and the 
Metropolitan Mnsenm of Art, you have finished the best of Fifth av., until you see 
it again in TIarlem. 

Remarks upon Apartment Houses and Domestic Life in New York. — 

The peculiar shape and conditions of Manhattan Island: the desire of the peo- 
ple in or near "society," to dwell close together, so that no invidious distinctions 
of locality may be made by irreverent outsiders ; the fact that the majority of 
New Yorkers are men of business, and must live near it ; and the extreme costli- 
ness of desirable land, consequent upon the circumstances just mentioned, have 
combined to make New York a compact city, several stories high — or several 
layers deep — rather than a wide-spreading accumulation of single houses, as are 
London and Philadelphia. In those parts of the city where the poor congregate 
because they can go nowhere else, blocks of " tenement " houses, as high as the 
law will permit, cover many square miles of the surface with superimposed layers 
of humanity. At the other extreme, men whose large incomes enable them to 
choose what way they will live elect to do the same thing — only they make their 
tenement houses as convenient and luxurious as a suite of rooms at Windsor Castle 
(probably far more so), and call them " apartments." But after all, it is not so 
much a matter of taste, as it is one of room, and to some degree, the saving of 
expense, though this is not considerable, since in the most expensive apartment- 
houses as high as $6oo a month may be paid for a single suite, while from $200 to 
to $300 a month is common. The terms " apartment-house " and " flat " must be 
distinguished, by the way. The former means a suite of rooms without a kitchen 
or any means of regular cooking, the occupants takmg their meals in the restau- 
rant attached to the hotel, or somewhere else. In a " flat " on the contrary a 
kitchen and every convenience for housekeeping are included. Some buildings 
contain suites of both kinds. The only difference between a flat and a single 
house of the same size, in a block, is : In a flat your whole home is on one level — 
which is a decided advantage ; and the noises made by your neighbors reach you 
from above and below, instead of through the partition walls, which may or may 
not be an advantage, according as you look at it. The new and expensive build- 
ings of this kind that overlook Central Park are imposing and beautiful architec- 
turally and are fitted throughout the interior with lavish magnificence. The 
largest of them, until recently, was the vast many-gabled "Dakota," on 72d st. and 
Eighth av., which stood until lately quite alone, and was ugly enough ; but its 
appearance improves as other buildings gradually go up in the vacant lots about 
it. It was built by Clark, of Singer sewing-machine fame, and the rent of one of 
its suites for a year would almost buy a satisfactory country house for the same 
family. Nearer, and still greater in size, are the series of contiguous houses facing 
the park, along 59th st. near Seventh av., which are known collectively as the 
Central Park or Navarro flats, and consist of several huge buildings ornamented 
after a pseudo-Spanish style of architecture, and named the " Madrid," the 
" Cordova," the " Granada," the " Lisbon," etc. The visitor should take pains to 
see their nobly beautiful fa9ades, with stately entrances, Moorish arches and 
indented balconies, if he cannot examine the magnificence of their interior 



176 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

appointments. They are said to have cost more tiian $7,000,000, and were not 
finished until 1889. Several of the flats in these buildings are owned by those 
who occupy them and who pay a proportion with other owners of the current 
expenses for general maintenance of the building. The " Osborne," at Seventh 
av. and 57th st., is another eleven-story structure of the same character, whose 
entrance, with its grand stone portal, heavy oaken doors and pannellings of rare 
marbles, is only a foretaste of the luxury within. Many others approaching these 
might be mentioned, in the best of which the rooms are finished in hard woods 
— mahogany in many cases — have inlaid floors, ceilings stuccoed and frescoed, 
steam-heat, electric lights, stained glass windows, etc. In such buildings, many of 
which are really fire-proof, there is a reception-room and little oftice at the 
entrance, and men-servants (or at any rate one servant) to announce visitors and 
attend to the door generally. Elevators are provided and each suite of rooms has 
a hallway ot its own opening upon the stairways and the elevator, so that quite as 
much privacy is maintained as in a sej^arate house. 

Of this character, and more or less equal to those heretofore mentioned; 
are the Florence, Fourth av. and 28th st ; the Strathmore, Broadway and 
52d St.; the Saratoga, Broadway and 52d St.; the Newport, 200 W. 52d St.; 
the Grenoble. 57th st and Seventh av. ; the Chelsea Home Club, W. 23d st. 
bet. Seventh and Eighth avs. ; the Delmonico, 79th st. near Second av. ; the 
Osborne, northwest cor. 57th st. and Seventh av. ; the Hoffman Arms, northivest 
cor. 59th St. and Madison av. ; the Berkeley, 20 P'ifth av. ; the Randolph, 12 W. 
i8th St.; the Rockland, 140 W. i6th st. ; St. Augustine, 264 W. 57th st. ; the 
Heathwood, 345 W. 58th st. ; the Garfield, 336 W. 56th st. ; the St. Albans, 349 
W. 58th St. ; the Palisade, 325 W. 56th st. ; the Ashton, 53d st. and Lexington av. 
the Alarlborough, 356 W. 58th st. ; the Hetherington, Fourth av. and 63d st. ; the 
Lonsdale, Fourth av., bet. 62d and 63d sts. ; the Washington, Seventh av., bet. 
I2istand I22dsts. ; tlie Beverley, Sixth av. and 125th St.; the Eisleben, -Sixth av. 
and 125th St.; the St. Catherine's, Madison av. and 59th st. ; the Evelyn, Ninth av. 
and 72d St.; the Belgravia, Fifth av. and 49th st. ; the Manhattan, Second av. and 
86th St. ; the Ariston, Broadway and 55th St.; the Rutland, Broadway and 57th st. ; 
the Dalhousie, 59th st. and Sixth av. and several others. 

Below these in grade, — though no distinct line can lie drawn, — are cheaper flats 
and those cheaper still, down to an acknowledged " tenement-house." These are 
on the less fashionable streets and the better of them are respectable and comfort- 
able ; though a family of refinement will hesitate to occupy a suite which costs less 
than $45 to $60 a month, if any other arrangement within their means is possible. 
Some of the better ones have elevators and a hall-boy, and are furnished in hard 
wood — ash or pine — and contain gas-fixtures, ornamental mantels and mirrors, and 
private hallway. Stationary wash-tubs are placed either in the kitchen or in a 
laundry on the top floor, and clothes are always hung upon the roof to dry. The 
houses where a man-servant is not stationed at the door to receive visitors always 
have a bell, a letter-box, and a name-plate within the vestibule for each apartment. 
Above the name-plate is a speaking-tube, through which a visitor, after ringing 
the bell may be called upon to announce his name. Then if the tenant chooses 
to do so, he may open the door by means of an electric lever, when the 
visitor may enter and pass to the floor occu])ied by the person he wishes 
to see. Several elegant structures, ot which the " l>eiiedick," in Washing- 
ton square is a good example, are devoted wholly to bachelor apartments, and in 
some of them a caterer who lives in the basement, will serve meals in the rooms, 
as ordered, after the manner of lodging-houses in London. The old term " fam-' 
ily hotel" has nearly disappeared from use, 



A TOUR OF THE CITY. 177 

/Across Centra/ Park to Harlem, 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Obelisk have been fully described in 
the preceding chapter upon Central Park. After as long a halt in the Museum as 
you think your time will permit, you can make your way straight westward across 
the park. It would be idle to attempt to describe the precise paths, but your first 
objective point is the Belvedere, where it will be worth your while to climb to the 
top of the tower, and overlook the "wide and beautiful expanse of park and city 
spread out in all directions. From the Belvedere you can pick your way down 
over the exposed rocks at the corner of the reservoir and so reach Eighth av. by 
unfrequented paths, or you may follow the asphalted walks that lead to the Ram- 
ble, the Cave, and so on over to the exit at 77th st. and Eighth av. Here you are 
immediately opposite the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan 
Square, which is described under the head Central Park, and to which half an 
hour at least should be given. 

This done, walk out to the station of the elevated railway at 8ist st. and Ninth 
av., and take the train for Harlem. 

The objects of interest along this route, which center at the very lofty curve on 
iioth St., have been catalogued in Chapter IV., where the route of this Sixth Av. 
line is described, and they need not be repeated. If one has plenty of time it may 
repay him to go to the terminus at iSSth st., and return ; but if time presses, the 
tourist is advised to alight at 125th St., and there take a cable car going east. 

This wide street (125th) is the Broadway of Ha riff u, and has been surprisingly 
built up and improved upon during the last few years. Fine shops now line its 
whole length, and the architecture of many of its newer buildings, such -as the 
Harlem branch of the Y. M. C. A., the bank on the corner of Fourth av. and 
several others, is highly ornamental. Two clubhouses will be observed; and the 
splendid driveways of Fifth, Sixth (or Lenox) and particularly of Seventh av., 
thronged with handsome equipages every pleasant afternoon, will repay attention. 
Fourth av. is underlaid by the railway tracks of the N. Y. Central, New Haven, 
and Harlem railroads, and the last named has a station there, whence you can go 
by steam to the Grand Central depot for ten cents. Third av. will be found a 
crowded thoroughfare, here, as below, and there is a station of its elevated road 
at this street. It will be more interesting, however, for the stranger tc return to 
the southern part of the city by the .Second A v. line, the station for which is at 
127th St., where are seen the Harlem Ri-rcr and the coaling wharves, factories, 
steamboats and barges that line its low banks and ply upon its sluggish and yel- 
■ low surface. Across the river are the ugly precincts of Motthaven, traversed by 
the Suburban Elevated Railway and fringed with beer-gardens. 

A description of the ride down Second av. will be found in Chapter IV., to which 



178 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITV. 

the reader is referred. From these cars he gets a good idea of the East River and 
its shores and islands, with the charitable and correctional buildings, belonging to 
the city, that are isolated upon them. The lower course of his journey is through 
the densely crowded German and Jewish tenements of the East Side, to Chatham 
Square. Here he may alight and take a horse-car, or the Third av. El. Ry. up the 
Bowery (see Night Ramble) to his hotel. 



X. 




THE RIVERS AND HARBOR. 



O great city in the world is so grandly situated with 
reference to the sea and navigable rivers as is New 
York. Other cities and seaports have beautiful, hill- 
girt harbors, as Yokohama and Rio Janeiro ; other 
cities stand at the mouth of broad rivers, as New Or- 
leans, Alexandria, and Shanghai ; other cities spread, 
like Constantinople, along the curving shores of a 
strait, protected from the fury of the outer gales ; 
but only New York combines ail these advantages in her insular site, under 
a beauty of landscape arrangement all her own and the admiration of the world. 
The horizon seen from her roofs is the blue Atlantic. The harljor, pleasingly 
irregular in outline, studded with islands, girt by low hills, and encompassed by 
cities and villages that glow brightly in the sunshine, and at night form a galaxy of 
brilliants, lacks only the snows of Fujiyama or the broken towers of the Organ 
Mts. to surpass Rio or Yokohama. The East River is an American Bosphorus, 
leading from the sea to Long Island Sound; and the Hudson River (in connection 
with the Erie Canal) forms the water-highway for a commerce geographically as 
extensive as that of the Mississippi, the Hoang-Ho, or the Volga. It would be 
possible to embark in a canoe at the Battery, and never leaving it, save for an occa- 
sional short " carry," to float to the borders of Alaska, or even down to the Arctic 
Sea at the mouth of the Mackenzie ; or in another direction, by a carriage of only 
a few miles across the main range of the Rockies, to descend the Columbia to the 
Pacific in Oregon. This is a glimpse of one reason why New York has become 
the foremost entrepot of the New World and will always be the commercial me- 
tropolis of the United States. It is the natural converging point of trade-routes. 

Three grand divisions of this chapter present themselves, — The Hudson or 
North River, the East River, and the Harbor, which receives both of the foregoing 



i8o GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

and other rivers besides. A glance at the map attached to this book will make 
this plain to the stranger. 

The Hudson River. 

Panorama of the River. — The source of the Hudson is on the slopes of Mt. 
Marcy, in the heart of the Adirondacks. It is a clear and dashing mountain tor- 
rent as far down as Glens Falls, where a great dam checks its speed and diverts its 
currents to the turning of factory wheels. This is the beginning of its period of 
slavery, and the waters fret their course through flumes and over dams, and keep 
machinery turning all the way down to Troy and Albany, 125 miles above New 
York. Here the great Mohawk enters from the west, the Erie Canal terminates, 
connecting the river with Lake Erie 400 miles west, and here is the head of its 
navigation. The Helderberg Hills on the west and the Berkshire Hills on the 
east confine and straighten its current into a channel long ago plowed out by an 
enormous glacier. Then come long and quiet spaces, with low and sometimes 
marshy banks, until the Catskills reach forward to make bluff banks again. These 
passed, the pretty hills of Kondoiit and Rhuiebeck, succeed, where the historic 
Esopus comes in and the lofty banks begin to be dotted with the costly and pic- 
turesque houses and vineyards of the fortunate merchants who can spend a part of 
their time, at least, in the midst of these invigorating and delightful scenes. The 
boat glides past the wharves of Poiighkeepsie, and under the great cantilever bridge 
which spans the narrowed stream at this point; but Vassar College is invisible. 
Then the Hudson expands into the shining lake which the old Dutchmen called 
Tappan Zee, where the windows of Neiubiifg on the right reflect signals of sun- 
light across to Fishkill on the left, quite as they did a century ago, when Wash- 
ington's little army had its headquarters here. Then a new range of hills — the 
Hudson Highlands — rear their bold front across the path, and press more and 
more closely upon the valley until it is contracted into the splendid gorge where 
Storm King frowns down, and the batteries of West Point awake the echoes of a 
hundred rocky hills. Escaping from this magnificent portal — the scene of so 
much physical beauty and of so many romances, and which has been reproduced 
in so many an ambitious story or painting — the eddying current finds room to 
broaden again. On the right the shore is abrupt and rocky, with Uunderberg 
frowning down behind and the Palisades rising up ahead. lona Island — a favorite 
place for picnics from New York — lurks near the western shore. Haverstratu and 
Nyack are villages on the bank, reddened by vast brick yards. Opposite on the 
eastern shore are Peehskill, Sing Sing, with its famous penitentiary, Tarryto7vn, 
celebrated by Washington Irving, and the closely connected suburbs of the 
metropolis. Shipping of every sort crowds the waters, and railway trains flash up 
and down along each bank ; while in the rear of the busy towns rise hills, some- 



THE RIVERS AND HARBOR. i8i 

times forested, sometimes cultivated, sometimes village-crowned. Still farther 
down the left bank becomes more abrupt, and the right stands boldly out in the 
pannelled front of the Palisades. Gradually the precipitous cliffs upon the western 
shore decrease and grow bare until they finally disappear, and the city appears. 

Below the bushy headland of Hoboken, the Jersey shore sways backward, 
and is lined with the crowded wharves of Hoboken and Jersey City; while 
on the New York side the expanding river trends to the left (eastward) and is 
crowded with ocean steamships and the white hulls of the boats that run up the 
river, to ports on Long Island Sound and to the ocean beaches. A score of ferry 
boats are seen at once, crossing from shore to shore, and three times as many 
more may be counted in their slips. Great steamers, — European " liners," 
coasters to the Gulf of Mexico, the West Indies and South America ; men-of-war 
at their anchorage off 23d st. ; numberless tugs, racing about alone, proudly tow- 
ing some noble ship to sea, or laboriously dragging a long line of picturesque 
barges ; and innumerable sailing craft, large and small, foreign and domestic, dig- 
nified and ridiculous. All these meet and pass and cross one another's bows with 
little hindrance, for there is room enough for each. 

The width between New York and Jersey City is now uniformly close upon a 
mile, and the depth from 70 to 80 feet in mid-channel ; and only this straight 
stretch below Hoboken is properly called " North River.'" Many nropositions as 
to bridging it have been made, and a tunnel has long been under way, but so many 
mechanical difficulties are encountered that progress is slow and success doubtful. 

The North River Water-front of New York. — The available water-front of 
New York on the Hudson is said to be no less than 13 miles; at present, how- 
ever, there is little commerce, and only an occasional temporary wharf, above 23d 
St. The water-front (nominally Twelfth av.) above that is mostly given over to 
lumber and stone yards, factories, etc., which receive and discharge their heavy 
materials either from vessels, or from the cars of the Hudson River R. R., whose 
line passes along the water's edge from Spuyten Duyvil to 30th st. Washington 
Heights and Manhattanville occupy the elevated shore with pleasant residences 
down to the Fort Lee Ferry. Between 128th and 72d st.. Riverside Park and 
Drive beautify the bank. At 42d and 34th are ferry and steamboat landings, and a 
few irregular piers are scattered along, broken again by the 23d st. ferry-landing, 
near which many steamboats touch or depart, and a few of the ocean steamships 
have their docks. This region is known in police circles as Hell's Kitchen, and 
is frequented at night by gangs of rough men and boys who do not hesitate at any 
violence, even to murder, trusting to escape among the vacant lots, lumber yards, 
and shadowy piles of factories and scattered tenement houses. Strangers are 
therefore advised to keep to the main thoroughfares if compelled to go to that part 
of the city at night. 



i82 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

It is not until West Washington Market is reached that commerce really be- 
gins ; but from Bank (or W. nth) st. down, well-made piers succeed one another as 
■closely as possible, and shipping and warehouses are continuous. Here lie almost 
■all of the transatlantic and many of the coastwise steamships ; and the steamboats 
plying upon the Hudson River and to Boston through Long Island Sound. 

Ocean Steamers. — The scenes daily enacted at one or another pier when the 
.great ocean steamships are about to sail (Saturday is the special day) are well 
worth the attention of a visitor from the interior, to whom anything connected 
Avith the sea is interesting. The wharf and the ship are thronged with passengers 
and their friends, floral offerings from those who stay behind load the cabin 
tables, baggage is being stored with much noise, the roar of escaping steam adds 
to the uproar, carriages are constantly arriving and departing, peddlers shout their 
wares, and all is hurry-skurry until the gang-plank is drawn in and the steamer 
swings slowly out into the stream, amid cheers from the assembled crowd, and 
answering shouts from the passengers. 

It is well worth while to pay a visit to one of the " ocean racers." The greatest 
luxury in the fitting and furnishing is the rule on the steamers of the great lines. 
The table is supplied with every delicacy. There are superb smoking, card, and 
retiring rooms, electric bells with which to summon well-trained waiters, and the 
electric light is now in common use. The transatlantic steamers have flush decks 
with these accommodations below, but the coastwise steamers as a rule have cabins 
on deck, and are between a steamship and a river steamboat in appearance. 

From Canal st. down to Cortlandt, the water-front is largely devoted to domestic 
transportation and freight lines, and the warehouses and sheds are luonopolized 
by the produce and supply trade of the city. Flour, meal, butter, eggs, cheese, 
meats, poultry, fish, and fruit, are poured into this " lap of distributive commerce " 
by New Jersey and the counties lying along the Hudson River to be sold and 
re-sold in Washington Market (q. v.). The piers are all numbered, Pier One 
being a noble stone structure, covered with a great iron shed, close by the Battery, 
where the Coney Island and other excursion boats call to receive and deliver pas- 
sengers. The front street here is West st. It is filled for the most part with old 
and mean buildings, devoted to drinking saloons, eating houses, ship chandleries, 
and small clothing and provision stores, with many tenements in the upper part. 
The Belt Line of horse-cars runs along the water-front from the Battery to 59th st., 
and from them can be seen all that one would ordinarily desire of this waterside. 

Easi River and Long Island Sound. 

Above Hellgate. — The East River is, in reality, only a tidal strait cutting off 
Long Island and connecting New York Bay with Long Island Sound. As you 
approach it from the Sound — generally — early in the morning the points and 
bays of the converging shores bewilder one, and it is hard to say where the Sound 
ends and the River begins. All along the mainland, from New Rochelle, some 20 
miles above Hellgate, islands succeed one another and hide the real shore. 



THE RIVERS AND HARBOR. iZ^, 

which, however, is low and uuinterestiiig. The first one (off New Rochelle 
harbor) is David's Island, where extensive hospitals were erected during the 
late, war. Subsequently the island was purchased by the United States and 
made a sub-depot for the reception of recruits. It is now a regular post 
under command of a colonel, and can be reached by boat from New Rochelle. 
Next comes Glen Island, which has been fitted up by J. M. Starin as a pleasure 
resort, intended especially for ladies and children and small picnic parties who go 
out in the morning and return in the evening by steamboat; every- sort of 
innocent amusement possible at such a place has been provided and the resort is 
a great favorite. Boats run back and forth every hour or two, in summer, between 
the island and the foot of Cortlandt st., N. R. Several other islands, not notable, 
hide the shore of Pelham and Chester ; while on the left Sand's Point, bearing a 
light-house, juts out from the bluff Long Island shore. Just beyond it is the deep 
indentation of Manhasset Bay in front of which lies Hart's Island, the potter's 
field for the city of New York, and the site of a lunatic asylum and .several other 
branch establishments of the city's charities ; more than 2000 unknown or pauper 
dead are buried there every year. City Island, between Hart's and the Westches- 
ter shore, is a pretty spot, inhabited by farmers, boat-builders and fishermen, 
notable as the place where American oyster culture first began. Great Neck now 
forms the Long Island shore in the shape of a headland on the left, falling away 
into the deep indentation of Little Neck Bay, famous for its clams. On the further 
side of this bay is the projection of Willefs Point, nearly meeting the long low 
peninsula from the mainland called Throgg's Neck. The reader must examine 
the map to understand thoroughly this itinerary; and must read Irving's "Knick- 
erbocker " to get the wealth of old traditions, and the histories of this region for 
the soberer facts that belong to it. Willet's Point is a station for the Engineer 
Corps of the U. S. Army, whose fortifications crown the bluff. "Torpedoes — 
Don't Anchor " is a signboard that may be read clear across the narrow strait 
which is the real entrance to the East River, and refers to the explosives that stud 
the bottom of the channel as a part of our coast defence. On the tip end of 
Throgg's Neck are the batteries and encampments of Fort Schnyler. This fort 
was begun in 1833, but not garrisoned until the beginning of the Civil War, when 
the great McDougal General Hospital was built near it. It is a scientifically 
casemated fortress of gneiss walls and earthworks, and commands all approaches 
by water from that side of New York. It can be reached by rail from the Grand 
Central Depot. IVliitestone and College Point are next passed on the Long 
Island side, the broad inlet of Flushing Bay opening beyond the latter, 
after which come Berien's Island and the upper end of Astoria. 

The low shore of the Port Morris district of the city appears meanwhile on the 
right, with a terminus of the New Haven R. R., where barges are loaded with. 



1 84 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

freight and passenger cars to be towed around to the railway termini in Jersey 
City, and forwarded to their destination without unloading. .The low shore on 
the left is Riker's Island, just above Astoria. Randall's Island, which old Gov- 
ernor Van Twiller bought two centuries ago from the Indians, appears ne.xt on the 
right, behind the " Sunken Meadow." It is the site of some of the municipal 
charitable institutions described under the head of Charities — Public. The 
strait north of it, called Bronx Kills, admits to the mouth of Harlem River. 
South of it a passage through to the western channel is known as little Hellgate, 
and separates it from the beautiful fields and groves of IVard's Island, where sick 
and destitute emigrants are cared for by the State; and also where the city's huge 
lunatic asylum towers above the trees (see Charities). The channel is narrow 
here, but broadens out, as Ward's Island is left behind, into 

Hellgate. — This is by no means the turbulent and perilous place of the old time, 
when many a good ship, including at least one man-o'-war, left its bones upon the 
reef of sharp rocks which obstructed this sharp turn in the channel and made the 
tides seethe and rush hither and thither with perplexing and destructive vio- 
lence. 

The United States Government in 1870 decided to free the channel of these 
obstructions, and engineers under the direction of Gen. Newton were engaged for 
six years drilling the principal rocks and charging them with nitro-glycerine. 
Meanwhile enormous chambers had been excavated underneath Flood Rock, and 
the debris removed to the Long Island shore. The present writer once explored 
these artificial, submarine caverns, which were designed to make room for the roof 
(the bottom of the river) to fall into when the final explosion should come. 
They were like the chambers of the Mammoth Cave. The work was successful, 
but was found to be inadequate, and the channel was little improved, as to safety, 
even when lighted at night by electric lamp-towers, as was temporarily tried. In 
1885 a much larger area was undermined and exploded as before, the explosion 
(which was effected by electricity) attracting an enormous crowd of spectators who 
lined the shores and filled the decks of excursion boats. As a spectacle the scene 
was disappointing, comparatively insignificant mounds and fountains of water 
bulging up only to sink back with little noise or display of force; but Flood Rock 
was annihilated, and only a trace remains of the frightful rocks and whirlpools, 
which an old tradition says were goblin-haunted. 

Blackwell's Island to the Battery. — Turning and twisting through Hellgate, 
where the east side of Harlem is in view, piled high with breweries and factories, 
the steamboat enters the narrow, quiet and lovely stretch of water between Black- 
zveWs Island on the right and Astoria on the left. The great buildings on Black- 
well's Island are all charitable or correctional institutions belonging to the city 
and elsewhere described. The first to appear is a lunatic asylum. Then follow 
the workhouse ; the almshouse for men and then an almshouse for women ; the 
reservoir ; the rude stone castle of the Penitentiary — " sent to the Island," in 
Police Court phrase, means coming here; next the immense halls of Charity 



THE RIVERS AND HARBOR. 185 

Hospital; and finally, among the trees at the lower extremity, the detached 
hospitals for contagious diseases. 

The hideous, commercial front of Long Island City, exhaling the odor of oil 
and disgusting chemicals from its refineries, rendering-bouses and sugar-making 
establishments, that turn the once fair current of Newtown Creek into a frightful 
drain, now appears upon the eastern side; while upon the western is the middle 
region of New York, its shore crowded with gasworks, factories and blocks of 
tenements, with here and there a great beer-garden overhanging the rocks, and a 
bath-house floating at their feet. Just below Hunter's Point (where the Long 
Island R. R has its terminus) is Grcoi Point, the northern extremity of Brooklyn 
(on the left). Directly opposite the forbidding gray front of Bellevuc Hospital 
(q. V.) looms above the trees, and the landing of the 26th st. ferry. Three blocks 
below is the East Twenty-third St. Ferry and landing, where many steamboats 
touch to accommodate passengers going up town. Here the U. S. School Ship " St. 
Mary's " is generally moored, and below here the piers are close together and 
crowded with shipping, and navigation is impeded by scores of ferryboats, tugs, 
steamboats, lighters, barges and all kinds of sailing vessels, for which the more 
manageable steamers must make room. Williamsburg, the "eastern district " of 
Brooklyn, occu|iies the shore on the left, and on the right New York is solid to the 
water's edge. The river contracts its width, and straight ahead lies the U. S. 
Navy Yard {see Brooklyn), — a half-circle about the large and once swam|n' bight 
anciently called the Wallabout. The head of your boat, hitherto pointed south- 
east, now turns slowly to southwest, and rounding Corlear's Hook enters the lower 
and busiest part of the East River, spanned by the great suspension bridge, now in 
plain view.' Both shores are filled with vessels of every description, backed by 
warehouses and lofty stores. The channel narrows, until it is only a quarter of a 
mile broad (1600 ft. between the bridge towers) ; and its waters are vexed at all 
hours of the day and late into the night by the many ferryboats plying between the 
opposite shores, large sailing vessels from foreign ports, coastwise steamers, 
dozens of noisy, puffing tugs, and countless small craft which trade to near-by 
ports. Its crowded condition has driven the large European steamers entirely 
away from it, and the long black hulls seen are those of " tramps " or else of coast- 
ing lines. It has an advantage over the Hudson in its freedom from floating ice ; 
but in very severe winters, at intervals of a generation or so, it freezes over, and 
during the campaign at the opening of the Revolution a large part of the Conti- 
nental army including the artillery crossed on the ice. After you have swept 
under the bridge and past Fulton Ferry the river perceptibly broadens, the 
Brooklyn shore, lined with massive warehouses, and overlooked by the fashion- 
able mansions on "the heights," trending away to the left and the New York shore 
losing its outline to the right in a forest of masts. Governor^ island blpc-H? the 



THE RIVERS AND HARBOR. 



187 



view ahead, with Buttermilk Channel between it and Brooklyn; and avoiding 
the buoy that marks Diamond Reef, your boat enters the Harbor, and sweeps 
around the Battery to its North River pier. 

A Walk along the East River water-front, through South sf., is far more in- 
teresting than anything to be seen on the North River front of the city, and is pecu- 
liarly fascinating to a person from the interior who for the first time finds himself at 
a great seaport and whose imagination is stirred to its depths by the sights and 
sounds familiar to his mind from reading and pictures of foreign travel and 
seafaring adventures. Turning up the river from South Ferry, at the foot of 
Whitehall St., we come at once into the most anciently occupied portion of the 
island and the present domain of foreign commerce. The land we tread upon 
here is all artificial. The natural riverside is represented by Pearl st., whose 
western side was primitively the walk along the shore which the houses faced. 



and whose turn at 
later ran over tow- 
One by one, as the 1 
pushed out and 
gun in 1687), and 



Franklin Square recalls the country road which 
ard the high road in the center of the island, 
growing town demanded them, piers were 
docks filled in, until finally Water, Front (be- 
at last South St., were added, and the shore 
extended out to water too deep for further 
progress. Just north of the ferries at the foot 
of Whitehall st. is Coentics' Slip. Among the 
earliest traders in New Amsterdam was Con- 
roet Teneyck, who had a corner- 
store at the head of what was 
then a little cove convenient 
for landing boats. He was a 
jolly fellow, familiarly known 
to everybody as " Coentje," so 
that it was natural when his 
cove became improved into a 
regular dock it should be pop- 
ularly called " Coentje's," 
which has been corrupted by 
careless tongues into the mod- 
ern " Quincy." It is now one 
of the places where fruit vessels abound in summer and cannal boats tie up 
through the winter months ; the little park at the head, which represents a 
space filled in, has been named Jeannette, after the ill-fated vessel which the 
New York Herald sent on an arctic exploration. Old Slip, next encountered, 
opens out of Hanover Square. It now contains a big new police station, behind 




THE BARGE OFFICE. 



i88 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

which, where an ancient market building stood until within a few years, is now an 
engine house, built of red and black bricks in close imitation of the old Dutch 
structure. The foot of Wall st. is just beyond, with its P'erry to Brooklyn Heights, 
which is used almost exclusively by the brokers who live over tiiere, and does not 
run its boats after nightfall. Just above it is the foot of Maiden Lane, where 
stood the Fly Market, famed in the early history of the town. "Fly" was a cor- 
ruption of the Dutch word vly, meaning "valley," and recalls the fact that 
here was a hollow, up which ran the natural, because easiest, road from the first 
East River ferry to the central highway along the ridge of the island. This quiet 
road was called the Maiden's Path, which has come down to us as Maiden Lane. 
In the early days, when all farms faced the water and all produce came to town 
by boat, a market stood at the foot of every street. 

The tall, old-fashioned, slanting-roofed buildings along here are filled with the 
offices of shipping masters, vessel owners and other seafaring occupations. Here 
are makers of nautical instruments, outfitters for seamen, sailors' boarding-houses 
(now well regulated and officially supervised), dark and cobwebby little saloons, 
with toy ships in the window, or specimens of shells, coral, scrimshaws worked 
during the tedium of long voyages in the forecastle, and weather-browned men 
" full of strange oaths " leaning over the counter. 

Far over the street, then- bowsprits reaching almost to the windows of the 
agents' offices on the other side, are great ships moored to the wharves, disgorging 
goods brought from some other side of the globe, taking on freight to go to buyers 
who know not whence it comes ; or waiting with unrufHed patience the profitable 
cargo that shall enable them to go forth. Among the big, tall-masted ships and 
the long black steamers are smaller vessels and the flag of every maritime 
nation is here unfurled to the breeze. In a stroll along East River you may 
find little clam and oyster boats from Connecticut, and fishing smacks from the 
Banks ; shapeless canal-boats from Buffalo and grimy steam barges from Philadel- 
phia and the coal regions ; trim schooners with potatoes from Nova Scotia, or 
tobacco from Norfolk, or odorous piles of oranges and bananas from Jamaica and 
the Windward Isles; brigs from Boston and Bombay, barks from the Mediter- 
ranean and the Brazils; full-rigged ships and swift clippers resting after voyages 
'round the Horn or the Cape of Good Hope ; thick-skinned whalers from arctic seas 
and battered merchantmen from the Indian ocean; smudgy tramp steamers whose 
crews are of every swarthy race and uncouth tongue, and gay excursion boats bril- 
liant in white paint and flags and gilt adornment. Between them you get a glimpse 
of the water, fairly alive with moving boats of every kind. It is such, to be sure, 
as every great seaport may present, but the picture in New York excels in glow- 
ing light and breadth of canvas; and it is intensely novel and interesting to a 
landsman. 



THE RIVERS AND HARBOR. 189 

The broad space at the foot of Burling Slip passed, you are at Fulton Ferry 
and Fulton Market (see Markets), the liveliest point on the river-front. The 
great bridge looms up overhead, shading the Clyde Line and other steamers to 
southern ports. Further on is the ferry to Broadway, Brooklyn, and still further 
beyond a lot of queer junk-shops and places for the sale of sea-going commodities, is 
Catharine Ferry and Catharine Market. The latter is a relic of old times, in the 
midst of crazy buildings and a rude population not yet disturbed by the hand of 
progress. The log-wood, coffee and other tropical goods remind you that here is 
the center of the South American and West Indian commerce. Later comes the 
broad space of Market Slip, with a long row of disused trucks standing in a line 
along the middle of the pavement. The scene has now become uninteresting and 
squalid; and when the dry docks begin to appear the entertainment of the stroll is 
at an end. Horsecars run along the whole length of this lower river-front, and 
one may perhaps find a ride upon them satisfying to his curiosity. 

A Trip Down the Bay. 

New York Bay is roughly lozenge-shaped, stretching into the Hudson and East 
rivers at its northern end, and reaching its southern point out through the Nar- 
rows into the Lower Bay, which is a broad indentation from the Atlantic, pro- 
tected by Sandy Hook and the Bar, which form a north-and-south barrier stretching 
from New Jersey to Long Island. The mass of Staten Island, reaching to within 
a mile of Long Island at the Narrows, divides the Lower from the Upper bay, 
the latter of which is the Harbor, properly speaking. South of Staten Island is 
Raritan Bay ; and between it and the New Jersey mainland winds the narrow tide- 
channel called Staten Island Sound or Arthur Kills. A glance at the map will 
make this plain. 

The Upper Bay or Harbor, is eight miles long and five miles broad in its wid 
est part. It is completely protected from all gales, has several islands, and is one 
of the most beautiful harbors in the world. Its care is in the hands of the Harbor 
Commissioners, a State committee who execute the laws pertaining to it, control 
pilotage and make all regulations, except such as it belongs to the Federal 
government to enact or such as fall within the province of the City, as represented 
by the harbor police patrol-boats. Steamboats traverse it regularly all the year 
round, and in summer the harbor is fairly dotted with them. They run to South 
Brooklyn and Bay Ridge on the eastern side ; to Coney Island, Rockaway and 
Sandy Hook ; to Keyport and the two Amboys in Raritan Bay ; to Elizabeth and 
Newark, N. J. ; to Staten Island ; and in summer a small excursion boat 
makes a delightful trip, with many stops, completely around Staten Island. 

Tour of the Harbor, — Emerging from either river into the harbor, the Battery 
and Governor's Island (see Military Affairs) are quickly left behind, and the 



1 90 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

massive commercial and office buildings at the lower end of the city group them- 
selves into a magnificent mountain of stately architecture, supporting banners of 
sun-gilded steam and smoke, and bristling with gables, turrets and flagstaffs. Far 
above all tower the campanile of the Produce Exchange and Trinity's sacred 
spire. At the right, as you gaze stern-ward, the breadth of East River, the 
delicately arched line of the graceful suspension bridge and the looming heights 
of Brooklyn extend the picture grandly in that direction ; while at the left are the 
broad level of the Hudson, and the tall elevators and green background of Jersey 
City, far enough away to take on an ideal beauty. The focal and foreground point 
of the splendid scene is the Battery—green with trees and lawns, marked by the 
quaint structure of Castle Garden, and fringed with white, where the gentle surf 
breaks against its curving sea-wall. 

The Battery (as before this the reader will have well ascertained) is the name 
applied to the triangular park at the southern extremity of the city. Originally 
Manhattan Island was rounded at the end and bordered with rocks, hardly covered 
at high tide. Upon the outermost of these a fortification, in the form of a water- 
battery, was built very early in the history of the city, and rebuilt, but not much 
used at the time of the Revolution. This accounts for the name. Among the 
defences projected at the close of the last century was a new fort here, de- 
signed by Col. Jonathan "Williams, then Chief of Engineers, U. vS. A., and founded 
upon the outermost rocks. It was completed in 1805, and was named Fort Clinton, 
after Gov. DeWitt Clinton. This is the structure since modified into Castle Gar- 
den. 

As originally built the fort was separated from the main land of Manhattan 
Island by a strip of water which was bridged by a draw, and which was filled in 
later. It was a circular building of solid stone masonry, with walls in some places 
thirty feet thick, and was provided with barbette and casemate guns. It was 
liberally armed and garrisoned by the government, and was considered by military 
men one of the best forts in the country. During the second war with England 
Fort Clinton was the center of a great deal of activity on the part of the citizens of 
this town. In 1814, the probability of a naval attack presented itself, and 
early in the spring the Common Council called a mass meeting of citizens to 
consider the situation. The citizens pledged themselves to rally for the defence of 
the city. Enlisting stations were at once opened, and companies and regiments 
were rapidly formed, and drilled opposite Fort Clinton, which was much strength- 
ened at the same time by gangs of citizens working with trowel and spade. The 
intense excitement of the times, centering at the Battery, spread in all directions 
about the port, and works were thrown up on Brooklyn Heights, Ellis Island, 
Bedloe's Island and Staten Island, largely by volunteer labor of citizens. Forts 
were built all around the Lower Bay and along the shores of the East River, 
McGowan's Pass was fortified to protect the city from approach byway of Harlem, 
and at Manhattan Pass a battery was trained on Bloomingdale. 

After the war Fort Clinton was kept in good military shape for a few years 



THE RIVERS AND HARBOR. 191 

only, because the defences in other approaches to the city had made it practically 
useless. It was deeded to the State in 1822. Then began its civil existence, 
which is more interesting than its military career. From 1824, when Lafayette 
landed there, on his visit, to this country, until 1853, when theatrical representa- 
tions of a rather cheap sort were produced there, the fort was a popular resort. 
The guns and munitions of war were gone, but in all other respects the place was un- 
changed. On festive occasions the sally-port in front of the drawbridge was lighted 
with colored lamps, and the draw decorated with bunting. Trees were planted 
in the park, and at night the whole would be brilliantly illuminated. Early in this 
period the Battery was in the most fashionable portion of the city. Canal street 
was out of town and Bleecker street a suburb. Chambers street was lined with 
the residences of the rich and Columbia College was at the foot of Park place. 
The up-town movement was felt somewhat in the quarter around Bowling Green 
and State street, but still that section was the centre of the conservative Knicker- 
bockers and social leaders of the day. An old print, which is one of the most 
highly prized treasures in the superintendent's office in Castle Garden, shows the 
Battery Park of this period. The park contained a few small trees, and flowers 
were planted along the walks. Men in fashionable clothes are pictured strolling 
along the water-front, and mothers innumerable walking with their daughters. At 
night, as books of the time relate, hundreds of people, representing the wealthiest 
and most respected families of the city, used to stroll about the park and into Cas- 
tle Garden. 

The reception tendered to Lafayette in 1824 was one of the great events of that 
period, and the magnificent ball in Castle Garden was its central feature. 
Receptions of the same kind were given there to President Andrew Jackson in 
1832, to President Tyler in 1S43, and to Henry Clay, in 1S48; and for years the 
fort served the ]nirpose of an assembly-room for New Yorkers on great occasions, 
as the Metropolitan Opera House does now. 

In 1847 Castle Garden began its career as a theatre, and here many of the 
greatest actoVs and singers of the last generation were seen and heard. The fort 
was remodeled inside, and shut in with a high roof. It was fitted up as luxu- 
riously as any place of amusement in the country at that time. In August, 1847, 
the Havana Opera Company, the leading opera organization of the period, 
appeared there, and came again in 1850, many fine ]3lays having been given in the 
interim. Then followed the wonderful introduction of Jenny Lind to the United 
States, under the management of P. T. Barnum, when seats were sold by auction 
for hundreds of dollars, and the town went wild over the Swedish diva. In 1855 
the dramatic manager's lease expired, and Castle Garden was leased to the State 
Board of Emigration to become an immigrant depot, and since then the name has 
become synonymous with its use. To this building all steerage passengers from 
Europe were brought in barges to make their landing; and every arrangement pos- 



192 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 



sible was made for their safety and welfare while endeavoring to meet friends, pre- 
paring for a residence in the city or waiting to be forwarded to western destina- 
ti9ns. Nearly ten millions of immigrants have passed through its halls and been 
placed upon the records. The United States has now taken the whole matter of 
immigration out of the hands of the State Board, has abandoned Castle Garden 
and is establishing a new depot on Ellis Island. What will be the future of the 
historic building is beyond conjecture at this writing. 

The Battery park contains 21 acres, is shaded by large trees 
and provided with a broad walk along the sea-wall and with 
a great number of seats. There is no spot in the me- 
tropolis more cool and beautiful in warm weather than 
this, but for 35 years it has been almost entirely given 
up to the immigrants, lodging-house runners and other 
hangers-on at Castle Garden, whose presence has kept 
away all but the tenement-house population of the 
neighborhood, for no longer, as of yore, does any one 
of wealth or taste live near it. At its eastern end 
stands the Revenue Barge Office, a branch of the Cus- 
tom House, surmounted by a tower 90 ft. high; and 
beyond that the group of ferries to Brooklyn known 
collectively as South Ferry. Anchored at the Battery 
is one of the free public baths which are provided at various suitable places 
along both river-banks. 




The Liberty Statue. 

From the Battery, and from every other point, near or remote, which commands 
the least view of the Harbor, the first object to catch the eye is the 

Statue of Liberty. — It stands upon Bedloe's Island, if miles southwest of the 
Batterv and on the western edge of the path of commerce. Its base is surrounded 
by the double, star-shaped walls and salients of old Fort Wood, which nearly 
hide the true pedestal (as seen from the city) but lend dignity to the noble figure. 
This colossal figure, the largest statue of modern times, is made of hammered 
plates of copper, is 151 feet in height and stands upon a pedestal 155 feet high. 

Auguste Bartholdi was a French sculptor, already known to Americans by his 
statue of Lafayette in Union sq., and by other works. He was impressed during 
a voyage to the United States by the eageirness with which the emigrants crowded 
the decks for a first glimpse of the new land to which they were coming with such 
hope and confidence, and the thought came to him, as Mr. Charles Barnard has 
well written it : " What a joy and encouragement it would be to these people if 
they should see something to welcome them, to remind them that this is a republic. 



THE RIVERS AND HARBOR. 19J 

What if there stood, like a great guardian, at the entrance of the continent, a colos- 
sal statue — a grand figure of a woman holding aloft a torch, and symbolizing Lib- 
erty Eiilig/iteiiing the World! " When he went home he proposed that a popular 
subscription should be opened in France to present to the people of the United 
States such a statue. The idea took the fancy of the French. More than $200,- 
000 was collected, and in 1S79 Mr. Bartholdi began work upon the statue, the 
sketch of which had been approved by critics and people alike. The process of 
building this colossal figure was most interesting and was graphically detailed by 
Mr. C. Barnard in St. Nicholas for July, 1884, quoted below. 

Structure of the Statue. — A monolith so enormous as this was designed to be, 
could never be transported or erected ; and if built up in courses it would crumble 
and become unsightly. Bartholdi remembered the statue erected centuries ago by 
" II Cerano " on the shore of Lake Maggiore, which was made of copper, in thin 
sheets, hammered into shape and laid upon a frame of stone, iron and wood ; and 
he decided that his statue must follow the same method. A beginning was made 
by executing a model in plaster just one-sixteenth the size of the intended statue. 
Next another model four times as large was constructed, and carefully studied and 
worked over to make it as perfect as possible. This quarter-size model being fin- 
ished, the task followed of making the full-sized model in plaster. But this had 
to be cast in sections, and these fitted together. To mold these full-sized copies 
of the quarter-sized model, which had been cut into suitable pieces, was a work of 
great ingenuity. Their weight required a support, and a framework of laths was 
first erected over which the plaster was roughly spread, and then was chiseled 
and smoothed by skillful workmen into an exact similitude of the smaller model. 

These sections in plaster completed, came the work of making wooden molds 
that should be exact copies both in size and modeling of the plaster. "It was a 
long, tedious and difficult piece of work; but there are few workmen who could 
do it better than these French carpeuters. Each piece was a model of a part of 
the statue, exactly fitting every projection, depression and curve of that portion of 
the figure or drapery. Into these wooden molds sheets of metal were laid, and 
pressed or beaten down till they fitted the irregular surfaces of the molds. All the 
repousse, or hammered work, was done from the back, or inside of the sheet 
[which varied from one to three yards square]. . . In this complicated manner, by 
making first a sketch, then a quarter-size model, then a full-sized model in sections, 
then hundreds of wooden copies, and lastly by beating into shape 300 sheets of 
copper, the enormous statue was finished. These 300 bent and hammered plates, 
weighing in all 88 tons, form the outside of the statue. They are very thin, and 
while thev fit each other perfectly, it is quite plain that if they were put together 
in their proper order they would never stand alone ; . . . there must be also 
a skeleton, a bony structure inside, to hold it together. This is of iron beams, 
firmly riveted together, and making a support to which the copper shell can be 
fastened." 

In erecting such a great statue, two things had to be considered that seem very 
trifling, and yet, if neglected, might destroy the statue in one day, or cause it to 
crumble slowly to pieces. One is the sun, the other is the sea breeze. Either of 
these could destroy the great copper figure, and something must be done to pre- 



194 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

vent such a disaster. The heat of the sun would expand the metal and pull it out 
of shape, precisely as it does pull the Brooklyn Bridge out of shape every day. 

" The bridge is made in four parts, and when they expand with the heat they 
slide one past the other, and no harm is done. The river span rises and falls 
day and night, as heat and cold alternate. The great copper statue is like- 
wise in two parts, the frame-work of iron and the copper covering ; and while they 
are securely fastened together they can move one over the other. Each bolt will 
slip a trifle as the copper expands in the hot August sunshnie, and slide back again 
when the freezing winds blow and the vast figure shrinks together in the cold. 
Besides this, the copper surface is so thin and elastic that it will bend slightly 
wlien heated and still keep its general shape. 

" The salt air blowing in from the sea has thin fingers and a bitter, biting tongue. 
If it finds a crack where it can creep in between the copper surface and iron skele- 
ton, there will be trouble at once. These metals do not agree together, and where 
there is salt moisture in the air they seem to quarrel more bitterly than ever. It 
seems that every joining of points of copper and iron makes a tiny battery, and so 
faint shivers of electricity would run through all the statue, slowly corroding and 
eating it into dust." 

This curious, silent, and yet sure destruction is prevented by packing every 
joint throughout the statue, wherever copper approaches iron, with an insulating 
material which keeps the two metals from actually touching one another. 

Thus the statue itself was built. Its readiness was promised for the summer of 
1883, and the people of America were asked to contribute money to erect a suit- 
able pedestal. They were slow to respond, not feeling the enthusiasm for the idea 
which had prompted the Frenchmen ; but at last The World newspaper aroused 
attention and by a systematic effort on its part (chiefly) the $250,000 necessary was 
raised, and the summer of 1886 was spent in erection of a pedestal after plans by 
Richard M. Hunt, under the supervision of Gen. C. P. Stone, as chief ejigineer. 

Bedloe's Island had been selected as the place for it to stand by Bartholdi him- 
self. There 2,000,000 people could plainly see the great bronze figure from their 
homes, and another million, in country homes, could see her lamp by night ; while 
men and women of every nation would pass in ships beneath her mighty arm. 

At the end of the Revolutionary war the island became the property of the 
State of New York, and at the time of the yellow fever alarm, in 1797, it was used 
as a quarantine for a short time. In 1800 it was given by the State to the United 
States, and in 1814 the Government began to build a fort on the island. In 1S41 
the present star-shaped fort was built, at a cost of $213,000. It was thought at 
the time to be a fine affair, as it would mount over 70 guns and hold a garrison of 
350 men. During the Rebellion the place was used as an hospital, and a number 
of hospital buildings were built on the island. With this exception, the fortifica- 
tion has never been practically utilized ; and the great guns now used on ships 
would soon demolish it. 

" It is a queer place indeed," as Mr. Charles Barnard remarks, "and reminds 



THE RIVERS AMD HARBOR. 195 

one of the illustrations in an old picture-book. As you go up from the wharf on 
the east side, you cross a road that follows the top of the sea-wall, and come at 
once to the outside battery, already falling to ruin. Here are a few rusty old guns, 
and behind them rise the granite walls of the fort. There are on the west side an 
arched entrance, a moat and a place for a draw-bridge — like those of an old castle. 
In the southeast corner is a sally-port, a cavern-like entrance, dark and crooked 
and closed by massive iron doors, not unlike the doors of a big safe. Within the 
fort there was a parade-ground, or open space, a few houses for the men and offi- 
cers, immense tanks for" storing water, and great bomb-proof vaults where the men 
could hide if the shells flew too thick. 

" It was decided that the lofty pedestal for the statue should be built in the square 
within the fort. The parade-ground, however, appeared to be level sand. Clearly, 
it would not do to rest su great a weight on sand, and it would be necessary, there- 
fore, to make excavations" until a firm foundation was secured, far below. This 
seemed an easy task, but it proved to be an exceedingly difficult one. Under the 
parade-ground were the old water-tanks, the store-rooms, and bomb-proof vaults, 
and these were of solid brick and stone, very heavily built. 

" A pit or excavation, 90 ft. square, was made and was carried deep enough to 
go below the fort to the solid ground beneath. Then the great pit had to be 
filled up again with some material that would not yield or sag. For this purpose 
wet concrete was used— a mixture of cement, broken stones and water. As soon 
as it is put into place and beaten down it hardens and becomes like stone Layer 
after layer of concrete was put in, till the whole pit wTis filled up solidly." 

This mass of concrete is 53 ft. deep and 90 ft. square. It is like one solid 
block of stone-work, sunk deep in the ground, and rising to the level of the broad 
walk on top of the walls of the fort ; but it is only the foundation on which the 
pedestal rises to the height of 155 ft. Stairways in its interior lead to balconies 
on each side at the base of the statue and up into the statue itself. These cham- 
bers and the interior are lighted by electricity, and narrow, but well protected 
stairways lead up among the iron trusses and cross braces which knit the whole 
structure together, and are securely anchored to the pedestal. It is interesting to 
note the strength and ingenuity of this skeleton, and to observe how deftly the 
plates are joined, so as to appear seamless and continuous on the exterior. After 
a time the stairway becomes spiral, twisting upward around a central column, the 
return stairway coiling, reversely, within it, so that no one is met either going up 
or coming down, though the voices and steps of invisible persons are plainly 
heard. The main stairway leads to the hollow in the top of the head, where it is 
said that 40 persons may stand at once, and a row of windows in the half-circle of 
the coronet overlooks the whole harbor, New York City, the Brooklyn shore, 
far back among the Long Island hills and out past the Narrows to the ocean hori- 
zon. It is a magnificent picture, and on a clear bright day fully repays one for the 
exertion of the climb. Another stairway goes into the torch, where a chamber 
will hold several persons at once; but this is not always open to the public. No 
greater elevation can be reached anywhere near New York. This torch is lighted 
by a cluster of electric-lamps, the dynamos and machinery for feeding which are in 



1^6 GIJWE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

a building on the southern shore o£ the island. It was a part of the original inten- 
tion to place an electric lamp on each one of the rays above the heading, giving 
the statue a crown of diamond-like points of light at night ; but this has not been 
done thus far. The figure itself, which faces the east, and has a face full of grave 
and noble beauty, stands posed on one foot, as if about to step forward and is 
majestic from every point of view. It is iioj ft. high to the top of the head, and 
151 to the apex of the torch-flame, held aloft as a beacon of liberty guiding the 
stranger hastening to our shores from over the sea. In the left hand it clasps a 
tablet — the tables of the law. 

Access. — A steamboat leaves the wharf in the rear of the Barge Office, 
between South Ferry and the Battery, every even hour, between 8 a. m. and 
4 p. m., reaching Bedloe's Island in 15 minutes and returning on the alternate half 
hours. The fare for the round trip is 25 cents. There is no charge for seeing or 
ascending the statue ; and an hour is sufficient time to spend upon the island, 
unless, on a Saturday afternoon, you choose to sit upon the parapet of the old fort 
and watch the procession of ocean steamers, outward bound, file past, threading 
their way through a crowd of other shipping and the gay fleet of excursion boats 

Scenery of the Harbor. — Bedloe's and Governor's Islands left astern, the 
whole of the Harbor is in view. The New Jersey shore on the right is indistinct, 
but would have little to show, as it is a low, squalid water-front, bordered by great 
shallows locally distinguished as York Bay. Straight ahead is Robin's Keef ligJit- 
houst\ warning against a ridge of rocks where a century ago seals used to bask 
and play, whence its Dutch name. The lighthouse is a low brown tower, hardly 
visible against the hills of the Staten Island shore. On the left is the monotonous 
expanse of South Brooklyn, curving about the anchorage-basin of Gowanus Bay, 
the northern shore of which projects into the point called Red Hook, where there 
are vast warehouses. A ferry from the foot of Whitehall st. goes to that part of 
Brooklyn, landing at 34th st. where cars may be taken for Fort Hamilton, or for 
Prospect Park and Greenwood cemetery, whose verdant hills make the background 
of the city. The skirts of Brooklyn thin out toward the south into the high, 
villa-dotted shore of Bay Ridge, at which the steamboats of the Culver Route to 
Coney Island land their passengers to take the railroad train. Below Bay Ridge 
the shore swells outward in green bluffs to form a headland at the Narrows 
crowned by the batteries of Fort Hamilton, bristling with cannon and accented by 
the Stars and Stripes, in front of which, at the water's edge, is old Fort Lafayette. 

Fort Hamilton is the name not only of a fort, but of a pretty little village 
which has grown up around it. The military reservation contains 96 acres and 
reaches around to the beach of Gravesend which reaches in behind the western 
extremity of Coney Island. The fort itself is a large casemated structure, capable 
of being put in a state of most effective defense and having shore batteries 50 feet 



THE RIVERS AND HARBOR^ t97 

above tlie water. Its guns command the Narrows and the appi'Oach from the lower 
bay. It is garrisoned by several artillery companies, and is usually the regimental 
headquarters. 

Fort Lafayette is the conspicuous, circular " castle " standing in the water in 
front of Fort Hamilton, constructed of brick and resting upon an artificial island 
where its guns command the channel, point blank. It was begun in 1812, and was 
originally called Fort Diamond, but the name was changed to Fort Lafayette in 
1822, when it was first garrisoned. It has long been obsolete as a defense against 
modern ships of war, and in 1868 the interior was largely destroyed by fire. 
Many interesting stories might be told in connection with it ; and readers will recall 
that during the late war it was the prison for political prisoners, where many well- 
known persons convicted or suspected of treason against the government were 
confined. Lately it has been used as a place of storage for ordnance and ammuni- 
tion ; and here Zalinsky built and experimented with his dynamite guns, and the 
new submarine torpedo boats were tried. This is one of the places selected for 
the improved harbor defenses, and it is probable that at some future day steel tur- 
rets will be erected upon it, carrying guns of enormous calibre. 

The Narrows are here only a mile wide, and form the gateway from the Lower 
Bay into the Harbor. The right-hand shore is the eastern end of Staten Island, 
with the contiguous villages of Tompkinsville, Stapleton and Clifton. The yacht- 
club houses, the queer craft of two or three wrecking companies and many coast- 
ers at anchor will attract notice. The point at The Narrows is high and is occu- 
pied by Fort Wadsworth — a name which covers the whole group of fortifica- 
tions on that side. Fort Wadsworth proper is a triple casemated structure of 
granite, which looks very formidable, but would stand long under modern projec- 
tiles. Nearer the crest of the hill is Fort Tompkins; 140 feet above the tide, and 
carrying many heavy guns ; while along the water's edge are the really powerful 
works of Battery Hudson. The military reservation includes 100 acres of high 
and rugged land, which could quickly be made almost impregnable, and in con 
junction with Fort Hamilton become an impassable obstacle to the invasion of the 
harbor by a hostile fleet. Meanwhile it is extremely picturesque. 

Having sailed through Narrows, the wide expanse of the Lower Bay spreads to 
the right, opening at the left to the breadth of the Adantic. The low sandy shore 
fades eastward into the dotted beach of Coney Island; and if the wind is brisk a 
white line of surf may be distinguished breaking on the Bar. Near at hand, on 
the right of the channel a group of .small islands and dismantled hulks will attract 
the attention of the passenger. These constitute the 

Quarantine Station. — Quarantine in the port of New York for the protection 
of the public health was established and is authorized by State laws ; the city office 
of the Commissioners is at 71 Broadway. 

" Its regulations are administered by three Commissioners of Quarantine, 
who are appointed for a term of three years by the Governor of the State by and 



iqS . GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

with the advice of the Senate ; and a Health Officer who is appointed for a term of 
two years by and with the consent of the Senate. . . . The Health Officer is 
required to reside at the boarding-station for vessels ; to board every vessel subject 
to quarantine or visitation by him as soon as practicable after her arrival (but 
between the hours of sunrise and sunset) ; to inquire as to the health of all per- 
sons on board, and the condition of the vessel and cargo by inspection and by 
examination of the bill of health, manifest, log-book, and otherwise; to send all 
sick to the hosjiital, and to determine what passengers and vessels are to be 
detained in quarantine. . . The establishment consists of -the hospital-ship 
' Illinois,' which is used as a residence for the deputy health officer and a board- 
ing-station for all vessels arriving from infected ports, and is anchored from the 
first day of May to the first day of November in the lower bay, 3 miles below 
Swinburne Island and in a duect line with Sandy Hook; Swinburne Island, 
which is situated in the lower bay, 8 miles below the city of New York, upon 
which is located the hospital for contagious diseases; Hoffman Island, situated 
I mile north of Swinburne Island, which is used for the detention and purifica- 
tion of well persons arriving in infected vessels; the quarantine burying-ground, 
situated at Seguin's, Staten Island, in which are deposited the remains of all 
persons dying of infectious diseases; the upper boarding-station at Clifton, S. I., 
at which are the health officer and the deputy health officer's residences, and 
from which all vessels are boarded arriving from non-infected ports ; and the 
steamer " S. C. Preston," bv means of which daily communication is kept up 
between all points of the quarantine establishment, su]5plies transported, the 
remains of deceased patients towed to the hosjMtal burying-ground, and the 
mails and passengers released from vessels detained in quarantine brought to the 
city. Swinburne Island is connected with the health officer's residence at Clifton, 
Staten Island, and the health officer's residence with the city of New York, mak- 
ing the communication complete between the hospital, Health Officer, and Com- 
missioners of Quarantine. 

From Quarantine are just visible, 8 or 10 miles southwest, the trio of light- 
houses and the low fort on 

Sandy Hook, which is a long spit reaching northward in continuation of the 
New Jersey coast-line. Some distance outside of it, marking the position of some 
dangerous shoals lies the Scotland LigJttship, — a hulk securely anchored, whose 
short masts support two great red globes by day and lanterns by night as a warn- 
ing to mariners. Around the Lightship and return is the " outside " or " ocean " 
course of the yacht-clubs, where the great races for the America cup and other 
prizes are sailed. The main ship channel runs close by both the Lightship and the 
extremity of Sandy Hook; but there is also a second, shallower channel through 
the Bar, known as The Wash, used by vessels of inferior tonnage or draught. 

The triangular enclosure of water inside Sandy Hook affords a secure harbor (the 
"horseshoe") where outward bound vessels often anchor and wait for favor- 
able weather to enable them to put to sea. Into this bight comes the estuary 
of the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers, long ago noted for their oysters. 
The sand here is very unstable, and not only the channel, but the very navigability, 
of this inlet and tidal river changes with every gale, while now and then the 
currents break through and convert Sandy Hook itself into an island, which 



THE RIVERS AND HARBOR. 199 

gradually rejoins the mainland. Just at the heel of Sandy Hook, and between 
Navesink River and the Bay, rise the lofty Navesiiik Highlands, <&\.\x\\\ow\\i&(S. by 
twin lighthouses, which are of great interest in many ways. 

From this lofty outlook an agent thoroughly acquainted witli the insignia of all 
craft coming to New York and aided by a powerful telescope, watchec the horizon 
and notifies to the agent of the Associated Press at Sandy Hook the approach of 
any steamer or vessel worth mention. This is immediately telegraphed to New 
York. Another " sliip-news " agent resides at Fire Island and a third at quaran- 
tine ; while other agents are deputed to board incoming steamers and gather 
such exchanges, dispatches, correspondence, etc., as they bring for the local news- 
papers, or for Customs officers. This explains the unexpected reception which 
escaped criminals and would-be smugglers sometimes get, even when the fact of 
their being passengers on a particular ship has not been cabled in advance. 
Persons expecting friends from abroad may, by paying a dollar and leaving their 
addresses at any telegraph ottice, receive notice of the arrival at Quarantine of the 
vessel by which the absent ones are coming, giving them ample time to reach the 
wharf from any part of the city as soon as the vessel itself. This will also be 
done by the Maritime Exchange, at the corner of Beaver and New sts. 

The New Jersey Central R. R. has a station on Sandy Hook, about two miles 
from its end, whence its trains run to the villages and beaches (see Seaside 
Resorts) along the coast of New Jersey ; and this is connected with New York by 
a regular service of boats sailing from Pier 8, N. R. 

This is the scenery of the ocean portal, visible to the outward-bound voyager, or 
to the excursionist going to Coney Island, Rockaway, Sandy Hook or Long 
Branch. A few words remain to be said in regard to the south shore of Staten 
Island and Raritan Bay, seen from the steamboats that go to Keyport, Perth 
Amboy, Tottenville or around into Newark Bay. 

Passing down through The Narrows the steamer turns southward along the 
straight south shore of Staten Island which is pretty, but has few features of 
special interest. Great Kill is an indentation early passed, and later comes 
Prince's Bay, the headquarters of the oyster cultivators of the region, whose 
natural beds, where the young oysters, or " seed," are gathered, and ])lanted beds, 
to which they are transferred, cover many square miles of shaUows in this vicinity. 

All along the adjacent Jersey shore, and particularly off Keyport, this industry 
rules ; and in the spring and early summer the whole surface of this part of the 
bay will be dotted with oyster sloops, and hundreds of small boats will be seen, 
each with two or three men busily tonging. Ernest IngersoH's " Oyster Industries 
of the United States," which was a special report to the Census of 18S0, contains 
full details, statistics and illustrations of this business, and of the oyster culture 
generally in the neighborhood of New York. He found that at that date the 
oyster planters of New York Hay alone numbered 500, cultivating 2.500 acres of 
sea-bottom, having 400 sailing vessels of all sizes, and selling $375,000 worth of 
oysters annually, one-third of which had been brought young from Chesapeake 
Bay, replanted and allowed to gain their growth in these genial waters. 

This narrowing easterly portion of the bay is called Raritan Bay, and receives 
the Raritan River and canal, which communicates with the Delaware river at 



2O0 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Trenton, N. J. The port of Toltcnville is the southernmost village of Staten 
Island, — a queer old town of seafaring people. Straight across from it, at the 
mouth of Raritan River, is Perth Amboy, one of the very earliest places settled in 
New Jersey. The colony was led by Sir George Carteret, and came from Perth, 
in Scotland. These people found that the Indian name of the locality was 
Amboy, and so called their settlement Perth Amboy.. It has seen, and preserves 
the relics of, much interesting history, and is one of the quietest, most rural and 
charming towns in the vicinity of the city. Across the river is South Aiiiboy, 
which was the terminus of the old Camden and Amboy R. R., the predecessor of 
the Pennsylvania and all other railway routes between Philadelphia and New 
York. The New Jersey Central R. R. to Long Branch, now skirts the shore. 

Between Staten Island and the mamland of New Jersey runs the river-like c\i2l\\- 
n^l oi Staten Island Sound or the Arthur ("Achter") Kill; and it is a delightful 
sail to return along its still current between green and shady banks, with here and 
there a small village or some other pleasant object to interest the eye. As the 
northeastern part is reached the island shore becomes low and the broad shallow 
expanse and marshy shores of Neivark Bay open ahead, with the water-front of 
the busy city of Elizabeth at its mouth (on the left). Here crosses the new steel 
drawbridge of the Baltimore and Ohio R. R., carrying trains to the new terminus 
at the northern end of Staten Island; and at the Staten Island end of the 
bridge are seen the enclosures and few houses of Erastiim;'-vi\\tx& Kiralfy's 
spectacular exhibitions, Buffalo Bill's " Wild West," and other shows of that kind 
are wont to be seen in summer. Newark Bay receives the Passaic and Hacken- 
sack rivers, and is navigable. Its eastern shore is Bergen Point, the terminus 
of the peninsula stretching south from Jersey City, and a delightful place for 
suburban residence. Between Bergen Point and Staten Island winds the Kill van 
Knll, extending through to the harbor, and completing the insulation of Staten 
Island. On the right, noble old houses with elegant grounds, and a succession of 
small village-center?line the shore; but on the Jersey shore, which reaches out in 
the low point called Constable's Hook, there is seen an immense array of oil tanks, 
warehouses and shipping wharves, — the property of the Standard Oil Company 
and terminus of their pipe lines — immediately opposite which are the park-like 
grounds of Sailor's Snng Harbor. From here a beautiful picture of New York 
Harbor is presented, and a moment later the circumnavigation of Slaten Island 
has been completed. 



XI. 
A RAMBLE AT NIGHT. 





''^'^'^-.^f ROBABLY no aspect of this great city is more interesting 
f,;,"Al? to the stranger than that which presents itself after the 
gas is lighted. How exciting is that hurrying rush of a 
winter's evening, when the snow is flying, and up and down 
Broadway, and across it from every side-street, press 
hastening crowds just released from ofiice, store and 
workshop, and eager to get home. For an hour afterward 
the streets are comparatively deserted. New York is 
never so dull as from 6.30 to 7.30 in the evening. Then it revives again. By 
half-past seven most citizens have dined and are coming out on errands of business 
or pleasure, or, in some parts of the town, simply to crowd the street with strollers. 
The theatre doors are open in a gush of light, but their curtains will not rise until 
8:15 or 8:30. The town below 14th st. is black and quiet; but from Union Square 
upward, Broadway is fairly ablaze with electricity and gas, massed in parterres of 
light at the squares and stretching away into a sparkling perspective. All the shop 
windows are brilliant with jewels, flowers, cut glass, paintings, potteries and gay 
merchandise of every sort, and knots of people gaze into them and then give place 
to others while they pass to the next. Fourteenth st. is as light as day, from Macy's 
great red star at Sixth av. to the hundreds of lamps in front of the concert halls 
near Third av. ; and Third av. itself is a line five miles long of many-colored lights, 
and a throng of lively people. It is a memorable vision to look from some lofty 
point, like the roof of the Equitable Building, or even from the Brooklyn bridge, at 
the city by night, its thousands of street lamps glistening, its tall buildings illumi- 
nated from attic to basement, its squares indicated by halos reflected upon the 
clouds, its spires holding high over all, here and there, an illuminated cross, the 
harbor embroidered with the moving and many colored lanterns of the ferryboats 
and shipping, and the river spanned by the noble arch of the bridge, set with dia- 



202 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

nionds of electricity, with here an emerald of safety in the center of the diadem, 
and there two rubies of warning where the towers lift to the sky their dim and 
prodigious bulk. 

A Nocturnal Ramble. 

Slumming. — One of the diversions in London is to make up a party, secure the 
services of an experienced police ofhcer — usually a detective — and visit the region 
of poverty and crime at the East End. That miserable precinct is called the 
"slums," and hence the verb. But New York has little to show, as yet, which 
resembles the narrow and intricate streets, the blind alleys, hidden courtyards and 
murder-inviting places along the lower Thames and in Whitechapel. " Slum- 
ming," therefore, in the London sense of the word, cannot be satisfactorily carried 
out here, though it is certainly possible to hire a guide at some one of the many 
private detective agencies, and to pay him to show you the darker parts of the 
town at midnight. But the chances are, unless you are hunting for an oppoVtunity 
to join in with some deviltry which must hide away from the light and the law, that 
he will reveal to you little, if anything, more than you can see for yourself, any 
night. As for danger — pooh ! Leave at home your silk hat, diamond studs 
and kid gloves, and your watch, too, if it is a valuable one ; don't exhibit a roll of 
bills when you pay for your occasional glass of beer or cigar ; don't be too inquisi- 
tive ; and don't allow yourself to be enticed into any back yards, or dark doorways, 
nor up or down any stairways, by man or woman. Above all, keep quite sober — 
so clear-headed that you not only can take care of yourself, but that you could 
closely observe and subsequently identify any person who tried to do you harm. 
That ability is what criminals fear, more than anything else ; and a sober man, of 
ordinary appearance and tact, can go anywhere on the streets of New York (save 
perhaps certain remote parts of the water-front which nobody has a call to visit) at 
any hour of the night, without worrying himself a particle as to his safety. 

Some suggestions as to a good route for a nocturnal ramble, and the sort of 
thing a person may expect to see, may be useful. If you are in search of evil, in 
order to take part in it, — don't look here for guidance. This book merely ))ro- 
poses to give some hints as how the dark, crowded, hard-working, and sometimes 
criminal portions of the city look at night. 

Supposing that you start from an uptown hotel, say at 9 o'clock, a good ]jlan 
would be to take the Sixth Av. El. Ry. to Bleecker st. station. This is a shady 
corner, in more senses than one. The. Jitnction of Bleecker and South Fifth av. is 
quite roofed over by the elevated station and tracks, and the latter street is one of 
the most poorly lighted in town ; moreover the locality is largely inhabited by ne- 
groes, mainly of a very low class, becoming still more low and vicious as you go 
down Sullivan and Thompson sts., below Bleecker ; and a large proportion of the 



A RAMBLE A T NIGHT. 203 

white residents, American, Italian, French and Irish, are fond of shady places and 
shady ways. An innocent looking basement beer saloon, a few doors west ol South 
Fifth av. is not, probably the most dangerous, but certainly the vilest place in 
New York ; and still nearer the corner are two places, known as " The Fashion," 
and " The Rathole," which certainly do not fall far behind it. Wander about 
these gloomy blocks a bit, if you like, but keep your eyes open— not so wide, how- 
ever, as would be advisable four or five hours later. East of South Fifth av. 
]!leecker st. is brighter, and there are several queer little French restaurants, one 
of which. May's, at the corner of Wooster, is a great favorite with artists and liter- 
ary men, not to speak of the many French families who regularly patronize it. 
Le Grand Vatel, in the same block, is also good. Fifty years ago this street 
was the height of fashion, and the doorplates of the fine old-houses, many of 
which yet remain in melancholy dirt and ruin, bore names now counted high up on 
Fifth or Madison avenues. But great business houses are rising year by year on 
their sites, and even the devil is being ousted from all this evil part of town by 
commerce and manufactures. Wooster and Greene sts., ne.xt east of South Fifth 
av. have only a few remnants of the long lines of houses of prostitution which 
twenty years ago made them infamous ; but both are dark and miserable still. 

Two blocks further on we come to Broadway, quiet and gloomy here, since 
almost every store is closed at six. We cross it and walk one block east to the 
head of Mulberry St., just beyond which are the rooms of two street missions, one 
of which, the Florence Mission, is widely known. 

We find a long, plainly furnished room with a carpeted platform across the fur- 
ther end. There is an organ and an abundance of seats. Early in the even- 
ing some ladies and gentlemen interested in the meeting take their seats upon the 
jDlatform, a young preacher or divinity student assuming the place of leader, 
behind a reading-desk. The room fills \\\i with boys and men mainly, who are 
orderly, and presently a number of girls and women, evidently belonging in the 
neighborhood, but neatly, if frugally attired, come in together through a side-door. 
Then the singing begins — anybody calling .out what he would like to have sung 
next. Perhaps a dozen songs are roared out, with more earnestness than melody, 
but that doesn't seem to matter ; and a little service, and, sometimes, a sort of 
experience meeting follow. Judging by your educated taste you say it is all very 
rude and coarse and tiresome ; but undoubtedly vast good is done through these 
missions, and to some extent by these nightly meetings, and you steal out after a 
bit, feeling that you would help it along if you could. 

Turning down Mulberry we pass the solemn, white front of Police Headquarters, 
whose two green lanterns, erect and firm before the door, are no more watchful 
than the power within, with its hand on the pulse of the metropolis, unceasingly 
vigilant, unfailingly ready, minute by minute, day after day, year in and year out. 

The odd, elevated figure confronting us as we approach the next corner gradu- 
ally shapes itself out of the shadows as the image of the genial Puck, whose bright 



204 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

weekly is printed in that great building. On this northeast corner of Mulberry 
and Houston ran for many years the notorious pugilistic resort and concert-hall of 
Harry Hill ; but the doughty proprietor closed his doors some years ago. Turning 
east through Houston st, we walk two blocks to the Bowery (of which more pres- 
ently), and jumping upon a car ride down half a mile to Worth St., which opens as 
a broad thoroughfare westward from the lower side of Chatham sq. We walk 
rapidly two or three hundred yards along it, until we suddenly find ourselves in an 
open, triangular space, where several narrow and irregular streets converge. 
This is the 

Five Points. — Thirty years ago Worth st. was called Anthony and did not 
extend through from Chatham sq. to Broadway, as it now does, but stoj^ped mid- 
way at "the points," where its intersection with Park and Cross (now Baxter) 
sts. formed five triangles. The ground was low, and had from the first been 
avoided by those who could choose a moie desirable site for their buildings. On 
each of these points, years ago, stood grogshops of the lowest character, and the 
whole neighborhood was filled with infamous houses and tumble-down tenements, 
inhabited by the poorest and most abandoned persons, — the human drainage of 
the city. It would be unpleasant to insist upon all the disagreeable features. 
What remains even yet is indicative of a very bad past, though the light has been 
let in by the opening of Worth St., the paving of the little " square," the demoli- 
tion of many of the old rookeries, and the closing of such alleys as " Cow Bay " and 
"Donovan's lane." Even the old "Bloody Sixth" police-station in Franklin st. 
was abandoned a dozen years ago. Nevertheless you may listen to the noise of 
fighting any night now in that region, especially in the Italian quarter just north of 
it ; and the counters of the dark and dreadful saloons are chipped with knife-thrusts 
and dented with pistol-bullets. But no longer, as of yore, are the Points the scene 
of a continual street-brawl ; nor, as in the days when " Cow-legged .Sam," " Irish 
Mike," " Family Pat," " Yellow P)ill," and their associates flourished and worried 
the brains of Chief Matsell or Superintendent Walling, will you hear a dozen cries of 
murder at once. At the Franklin st. station, sixty prisoners were frequently brought 
during one night. Police officers, locally known as " cops," were busy from the 
time they went out until they were relieved. Much as the two missions (see 
Benevolent Societies) erected in the locality about 1S50 did towards its regener- 
ation, they would have had little effect had it not been for the support of the 
swift and tireless clubs. These preached a gospel Five Points could not fail to 
comprehend. The stories of peril and heroism which could be related of the 
policemen whose posts were in the dark purlieus, would make not only a thrilling 
romance, but contain bright examples of courage and nobility- There is no danger, 
whatever, at present in a visit to the P'ive Points by daylight ; and little at night, 
or even to the crowded quarters beyond it, if a personlieeps his eyes open and 
does not allow himself to be enticed off the street. 

Where next? Baxter st. which leads straight through from the Five Points to 
Chatham st. is dark and quiet. The ol' clo' shops are shut, and all the Cohens 
have gone to bed In the day time this narrow, short and dirty thoroughfare will 
repay the curiosity of any sight seer who has the temerity to run the gauntlet of 
" pullers in." The street, more commonly spoken of as " the Bay," has always 



A RAMBLE A T NIGHn 205 

been known for its cheap clothing business, and shop after shop on both sides is 
given up to our Hebraic brethren, who appropriate the greater part of the side- 
walk for the display of their various " bargains." Swarthy men and sometimes 
girls entreat you to enter and buy, not only, but seize your arm and will drag you 
in, if they can, despite the protests and revilings of the salesmen next door. The 
complacency with which you are assured that black is white and that other contra- 
dictory things are similar, in order to effect a sale, is amusing — objectively. 

Failures are almost unheard of but one occurred the other day that shook 
the Bay to its foundations " The original Harris Cohen," one of the big- 
gest manipulators of the overcoat market, was compelled to make an assignment. 
His establishment was one of the largest in the street. His clerks wore bigger 
checks and diamonds than the employes of any rival establishment, while his 
" pullers in " were celebrated for the persuasiveness of their arguments both 
lingual and muscular. " Cohen " appeared to be the " open sesame " to success. 
Rivals accordingly began to spring up, and before long there was hardly a shojj in 
the street that did not boast a Cohen for a proprietor. Not content with a]j|:)ro- 
priating his trade mark, each dealer dubbed himself with the only Cohen's Chris- 
tian name, until now, if you go to any store in the street, no matter what sign there 
is hanging in front of your very nose, the capj^er will assure you that the place is the 
original Harris Cohen's, and that no one else has ever kept it. 

There used to be a theatre, under the sidewalk, where Ba.xter st. joins " the 
Points," called the Grand Duke's Own Opera House. It was managed by news- 
boys, and the actors and dancers were all little street waifs. There was no harm 
in them, and it cost only five cents and a certain nimble recklessness in getting 
down the rickety stairs that led through a kind of hatchway to the cellar, to wit- 
ness the performance ; but that disappeared long ago. 

It is too far to go to see the Italian rag-pickers in Crosby st., but we can find a 
great colony of the same people in Little Italy, just above here ; so let us go to 

The Mulberry Bend. — Mulberry st, here at its southern end, is narrow, dark 
and dirty. Six-story tenements, whose unwashed windows scarcely disclose any 
evidence of the lamp-light within, rise in a solid wall on either hand. Their first 
floors are occupied by shops of various kinds, — all dark now, but blurs of red and 
yellow light at each corner, and once or twice in the middle, of every block, show 
that the saloons are still open. Along the curbstone, every two or three doors, 
are groups of trucks, whose drivers and horses are stabled somewhere in the 
midst of these tenements. It is not much after ten o'clock, and plenty of people 
are in the street, unless it be a cold night ; if it be one of the hot summer even- 
ings, everybody is out, half of them asleep on the trucks, or in door steps, or on 
the cellar doors, where the mothers have brought pillows, or maybe a mattress, 
for their children to lie upon ; and there they will sleep all night rather than stifle 
inside those awful hives of neglected humanity. Where can all this crowd stow 
itself ? My dear sir, there are tenements here within tenements. These dark 
little arches and entrances — do not be enticed into exploring them — lead to tall 



2o6 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

houses in the center of the block where large families crowd into one or two small 
rooms. But to-night it is cooler, and we see no children and few women. 

Here is a little street coming in from the right, and the smoky torches of a 
fruit-seller gleam upon the brass buttons of two policemen who are watching 
what seems to be material for a very pretty row, in a group of small, lithe, dark 
men excitedly quarreling and gesticulating. Not a word of English is heard — 
only a rough, gutteral Italian. Perhaps they will take it out in words — perhaps 
a knife may flash out, a cry be heard, and the cat-like murderer get away even 
though policemen are so close at hand, for his countrymen will help him to 
escape, in order that they may institute the vendetta and become their own 
avengers. We move on. The way is more crowded, and as we jostle through 
it is hard to believe this is not Naples. The street curves slightly to the left. 
More dark-skinned men and bonnetless women — who ever saw one of these 
sigiiornias wear a hat .-" — throng the sidewalks and squat in the doorways of the 
little shops, whose thresholds are below the sidewalk, or lounge upon the trucks 
or pass, in and out of a concert hall where dancing is going on. Let us step into 
this groggery kept by a man whose name is honored in Rome, if his sign may be 
believed, and get a glass of beer. It is a dark, smoky little bar-room, filled with 
Italians. No doubt they look ferocious, if your fancy insists upon it, but to me 
there seems only a sort of brutish curiosity in their glances. The beer comes in 
glasses holding nearly a quart, and only three cents is asked ; but if it was not 
altogether obtained by emptying the dregs of the beer-kegs in other saloons, the 
stock was certainly eked out in that way. We take just a sip for politeness sake 
and go out again. This is the Mulberry Bend — in some respects the most unman- 
ageable crime-nursery in the city. It is quiet enough, as a rule, however, and we 
turn back and saunter through the stinking shadows of Bayard st. (the very worst 
part of a very bad street named after the pattern of gentility) without any sensa- 
tions of alarm, since no vendetta has been declared against us in " Little Italy." 

"The Italian population of New York," says Townsend, " numbers about 
15,000 [nearer 25,000 now] largely made up of laborers and rag-pickers, who are 
industrious, economical, and dirty. Most of them will suffer many privations for 
the sake of saving a little money, and, though they have a miserable appearance, 
there are no beggars among them. Their principal headquarters are the Five 
Points, Baxter and Crosbv sts. on the east side, and Wooster, Sullivan, and Spring 
sts. on the west side. They rarely speak the English language, and mingle little 
with people of other nationalities. They are commonly sober, but when they do 
become intoxicated it is nearlv certain that they will quarrel, and not rarely with 
fatal results. It is a mistake 'to suppose that the majority of organ-grinders and 
strolling players which crowd our streets are Italians. These nuisances are mostly 
Germans. Another calling to which our Italians answer in great numbers is that 
of waiters in restaurants, a business for which their natural politeness renders 
them peculiarly fit. Ascending their social ladder, we find a host of Italian musi- 
cians, music and language teachers, some of whom stand very high in their pro- 



A RAMBLE A T NIGHT. 207 

fession, and others have devoted themselves to literary pursuits, or to the higher 
branches of trade." 

China.town and the Chinese. — At the top of the slope of Baxter st. is Mott 
-St., and here in daylight an extremely picturesque and foreign scene is presented 
as you look back at the rickety tenements and the chaffering crowd of excitable 
hucksters. Mott st., from Bayard to Chatham sq., is the heart of Chinatown. 
Here, or in the immediate neighborhood, the majority of the 7000 Chinese in New 
York has its home, though its work may be done to a large extent somewhere else. 
Here are the joss houses, the civil officers of the colony, the merchants, the tailors 
and shoemakers, the lodging-houses and restaurants, the gambling rooms and 
opium-smoking places. 

The latest estimate, by the Chinese Consulate (26 W. 9th st.) places the num- 
ber of Chinese in New York and Brooklyn at about 7000. All come from a little 
territory in the province of Kwantung, in part known as the Sam Yup, or Four 
Towns, and the Sz' Yup or Three Towns. The Sz' Yup people are in the majority, 
and are not so well-educated as the former, and seem more susceptible to foreign 
influences, and more easily convertible to Christianity. The influence of home 
customs, traditions and clans is strongly felt in this country, where the race iso- 
lates itself and clings closely together. Those from the same village naturally 
seek one another's society; and as the dwellers in each village not only belong to 
the same clan, but to a great extent to the same family, certain names occur in 
great numbers here. The speech of each clan differs in some degree from that of 
all the others, while all resemble the dialect of Canton Cit}'. In many cases long- 
standing feuds between the separate clans are kept up here, but the war is rarely 
more than one of hard words. The assaults by Chinese reported in the news- 
papers are nearly always by professional criminals who are as much detested by 
the mass of their countrymen as white rascals are by us. These people are as in- 
different to our laws as safety jiermits, but have a code of their own to which they 
pay more attention. Each community is a little democracy, governed, so far as 
any regulations seem necessary, by a kind of town meeting, or assembly of the 
merchants and influential men, who resolve upon certain local regulations. In 
this city the merchants support a guild hall, which is in charge of a ])erson of ap- 
proved character, who is elected to the office annually, and is called in the news- 
papers " mavor of Chinatown." He really has no executive ])owers, but acts as 
adviser and arbitrator of quarrels in the colony. Very few of the Chinamen in 
New York are married to Chinese women, but many have found wives or consorts 
among the Irish and Italian women of that quarter of the city, and these unions 
seem happily maintained in most cases, but tend to separate the husbands from 
their countrymen, who, in general, disapprove of intermarriage with " barbarians," 
and decline to offer them or their children any of the ceremonies of courtesy which 
belong to marriage, the birth and naming of children, and to other occasions in the 
domestic life of this superstitious people. 

Some thirty " comjjanies " of merchants are enumerated in New York, and many 
of them do a large business, not only at home, but in supplying Chinese shops in out- 
lying towns. Their stock is mainly imported direct, and includes a wide range of 
goods. These stores are always oj^en, of course, to visitors, and in each of them 
a clerk or proprietor speaking English will be found. The largest wholesale onef< 



2oS GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

are in Mott st. and Chatham sq. ; but the most showy retail shops are in Chatham 
sq. and at the lower end of the Bowery. A few physicians — but none who would 
be considered of much account at home — and otlier men of moderate attainments 
are here ; but the main body of the people are villagers from the rural districts 
north and west of Canton, who have had no more than what we should call a com- 
mon school education. Ail can read, the stock of native books among them is 
large, and some of them can write a pretty long list of characters. The six or 
seven hundred laundries in town employ most of the Chinamen, who are very in- 
dustrious and frugal. This trade is more a matter of accident than of any pre- 
dilection on their part, and due to the fact that the first comers were imported from 
California, and put at work in a great laundry at Belleville, N. J. After having 
learned the trade, and saved a little capital, some were shrewd enough to start in 
it on their own account, and their success induced others to follow. They have 
invaded few other lines of toil, and hence have never aroused the prejudice and 
opposition of the white laborers of the city, as has resulted from their excessive 
numbers and general competition on the Pacific coast. Few Chinamen here have 
changed their costume or altered their habits to conform to American usage, ex- 
cept in the single item of head covering. Their habits of personal cleanliness are 
maintained, their streets are by all odds the cleanest in that part of the city, the 
buildings in which they live are well swept and kept in good repair, and their 
quarters, though smelling of incense smoke, and otherwise strangely malodorous 
to Caucasian nostrils, and despite their crowded condition, far surpass in whole- 
some cleanliness the tenements of the foreigners around them. The colony is 
very healthy, and gives the police little trouble, apart from opium orgies. 

The hour of this walk is too late, of course, to enable us to enter the stores, 
whose upright signs, with big carved characters and little knots and tassels of 
cloth, glimmer picturesquely in the gaslight. What we can see through the darkened 
windows induces a resolve to come here again by daylight. The front of a build- 
ing on the eastern side of the way attracts attention. It is covered with balconies 
hung with gaudy signs and ornaments, and illuminated by large octagonal lanterns 
of colored glass. This is the new temple or joss house at No. 6, which is worth a 
visit. 

A Joss House. — We enter the hall and climb two pairs of stairs to the front 
room, where the noise made by our entrance brings an aged and shriveled 
attendant, who bows his welcome, shaking his own hands the while, instead of 
shaking ours. (Jne side of the room is filled with a great shrine of magnificently 
carved ebony columns and arches, within which carved figures covered with gold 
leaf are placed, the whole resembling somewhat the stage-setting of a tiny theatre. 
The extreme back of this shrine is occupied by a half-length painting representing, 
they tell vou, Gwan Owing Shing Te, the onlv original god of the Chinese empire. 
On his left is the woman-like figure of his grand secretary, Lee Poo, and on his 
right, in fiercest battle array, is Tu Chong, the grand body-guard. A row of 
candles, set like theatre footlights, illuminates the iiainting, and brings out all its 
barbaric splendor. About three feet in front of the shrine, is a massive carved 
table upon which are arranged the brass jars, joss sticks, sandal-wood urns, and all 
the offerings and sacrifices j^eculiar to this worship. It is before this table, after 
lighting his jncens? sticks and his sacred paper, th^t the Mongo]ian worshiper makc-^ 



A RAMBLE A T NIGHT. 209 

his devotional salaams, pours his tiny libation of rice wine, and repeats the ritual 
of prayers enjoined upon him. 

The two other temples (at Nos. 16 and 18) are furnished in the same style. 
The decorations are all in red and gold, and the furniture is black ebony heavily 
made, elaborately carved with vine work, and slightly polished. The walls are 
hung with banners of red and gold, bearing moral mottoes or praises of the deity 
represented ; or sometmies these are expensively carved on ebony planks, carved 
and gilded. The temple at No. 18 is supported by the Lee family as a chapel for 
the clan, and that at No. 6 is connected with a benevolent society which is also a 
Masonic body. The religion of this people, as manifested here, is, however, ac- 
companied by little sacredness. The " worship " is purely formal, carelessly gone 
through with, and prompted by a mingling of fear of harm and the desire for good 
luck. The theory, so far as it can be learned, is a sujjerstitious and nonsensical 
conception, partly derived from the philosophies of Buddha and Confucius, but 
recognizable by neither. 

Several Chinese restaurants are carried on in this quarter, and on Saturday 
nights and Sundays, when thousands of Chinamen flock in here to visit friends 
and make purchases, they are crowded. '1 he largest one is kept by Kee Keng 
Low on the third floor (front) of iS Mott st. 1 he room has a number of small 
and tall tables, surrounded by high-seated chairs, but the furnishing in general is 
bare and disappointmg. One can get here a meal, cooked and served in an exclu- 
sively Chinese way, as long and elaborate as he likes ; but the prices are rather 
high, the surroundings are not inviting, and visitors ordinarily content themselves 
with a cup of tea, (served with the stems, etc., in a cup covered by an inverted 
saucer), and some small round fruit-cakes. If you wish to taste their peculiar 
rice-spirit, it will be served in cups holding a thimbleful ; and you will find this 
quite enough, probably, and hasten afterward to eat or drink the most pungent 
things you can find to get rid of the unspeakably disgusting taste it leaves upon the 
palate. 

Gambling, in the game with small cards called fan tan, is rife in the Chinese 
quarter ; but it is against the law and carefully hidden, so that ingenuity and help 
will be required to discover where it is going on, disarm suspicion and get a chance 
to witness it. 

Opium Smoking rooms, popularly called "joints," are hidden away in Pell 
and Doyer sts., but it is dangerous to visit them, as the police are likely to raid 
them at any moment, and the consequences to every one found there are exceed- 
ingly unpleasant. The price ot " hitting the pipe " is $1. The habit has spread 
outside the Chinese quarter, and now "joints" exist uptown, whose patrons are 
wholly white men and women, who yield themselves to the pipe without any 
restraint of dignity or decency. They are principally on the West Side somewhat 
above and below 34th st. The following picture of an opium-den in Chinatown is 
little if any exaggerated. 

" There is certainly nothing inviting about this particular joint, but it is a fair 



210 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

type of its class. A weazened-faced Chinaman admits the visitor after first closely 
scrutinizing him. The doorkeeper leads the way to the rear of the house and 
admits the mtending smoker into a large room, whose only furniture is two little 
tables, on which the ' dope ' is prepared, and a number of unhealthy-looking bunks 
on which the smokers recline. There are back of the large room several closets 
and alcoves in which are bunks placed one above the other. The atmosphere, 
odors and appearance of the place are offensive to the last degree. Yet over there 
on one of the lounges is a girl whom a painter would call beautiful, and on whose 
every feature is the stamp of refinement. Her tawny chestnut hair falls in a shim- 
mering yellow cascade down over her broad bosom and shoulders, her clear hazel 
eyes are growing dull and lustreless as the drug asserts its influence, and her white, 
rounded arm is thrown around the neck of a repulsively ugly Chinaman beside her. 
Suddenly her eyes close, the pipe drops from between her nerveless fingers and 
she falls back on. the lounge in a trance that seems like death. 

There are in the room about thirty smokers. Of these eight are white girls and 
si.x white men, the rest being Chinamen. Nearly all are stupefied and lie piled on 
top of each other in the bunks in attitudes and with expressions of the most horri- 
ble grotesqueness. An old Chinaman is " cooking his dope " in the furthest away 
corner of the room. As the green light from the tiny lamp flashes and flickers 
over his cadaverous features, throwing an eerie gleam into the hungry eyes, he 
presents a picture that equals the terrors of any portraiture in Dante's ' Inferno.' 

Dark Corners Behind the Bowery. — I.et us turn from Pell into Elizabeth, 
and walk rapidly northward. The street is a dark caiion between lofty ware- 
houses and tenements. We meet few persons and see few in the doorways, and 
most of the windows are dark, for the working men and women, whose wagons 
and handcarts crowd the narrow, muddy street, are asleep. The green lamps of a 
police station show a clean space in front of its white doorway, where two officers 
are trying to get a struggling woman, desperately drunk, up the stairway, without 
actually carrying her. One of them gives her a resounding spank with his open 
hand, which must have reminded her of her childhood's days, if she ever had any, 
and in she goes, with a bound nearly upsetting the small doorman. If you care to 
see the inside of a police station, its cells and lodging rooms, here is a good 
opportunity. 

Music, mingled with the click of billiard ballS;, comes through the grated win- 
dows of a round-roofed building opposite, the rear of the Atlantic Garden. Canal 
St. is crossed, a group of women on the corner seeming to get into our way pur- 
posely, instead of stepping aside as we brush past. The next block is dotted with 
loitering girls who leer at us under their drooping hat brims, and thrust out their 
elbows to touch us as we pass. There is another block or two of the same sodden 
and terrible gauntlet beyond, but we escape it by turning up Broome st. to the 
brilliant Bowery, which is only one block away; Chrystie st., on the other side 
of the Bowery, is almost the same, but one glimpse of that sort of thing is 
enough. 

The Bowery. — It is only eleven o'clock, and the Bowery is still crowded with 



A RAMBLE AT NIGHT. 211 

people, and brilliant wilh innumerable lights along its whole length. There is no 
other such a street in America. " In it is probably represented every civilized 
nation on the globe, and it is unquestionably a democratic street. It is the an- 
tithesis of Broadway, and the grand avenue of the respectable lower classes." 
Years ago it was the resort of a peculiar type of braggart ruffians, the Bowery 
boys, who were the heroes of that New York which was guarded by the " leather 
head " police, and ran to fires " wid de machine " of their favorite volunteer com- 
pany, Dickens found here material to his taste. No chapter in his " American 
Notes " is more graphic or true than that upon the Bowery ; and Thackeray was 
anxious first of all to see this street and its habitues. But that time passed with 
the era of the war, and the coming of the immigrants. Americans have almost 
disappeared from all that part of New York, and the swaggering "boy" has de- 
parted. The " young feller " who remains is really no better, but he is more 
showy, less troublesome, and is in turn giving way to the German and Jew, good- 
natured and frugal, even in their amusements. Larger buildings and better shops 
are exhibited year by year, and the Bowery is gradually but steadily rising. 

" Here retail stores, beer-saloons, pawn shops, dime museums, theatres, etc., 
crowd upon each other, and an incessant multitude streams along the encumbered 
sidewalks. The German language seems to predominate, appearing in hundreds 
of sign-boards and coming from thousands of lips. . . . While always crowded 
and full of life, the Bowery presents itself in all its glory of a Saturday night, when 
wage-earneis have a little spare time to themselves, and are abroad with a week's 
earnings in their pockets. King Beer holds high carnival. Beer-saloons and gar- 
dens are almost as closely packed as sardines in a tin box. Each saloon is extrav- 
agant in its offers of a free lunch to all its patrons, and the lunch is in each case 
attacked by a perspiring and not too particular throng. Ten men to one fork ! 
The red herring, so conducive to thirst, is not popular, the tripe having evidently 
borne the brunt of attack. The cheese has suffered greatly, too, and looks as 
though it wished itself dead, which it isn't. Then, out on the sidewalks hoodlums 
abound ; and not only hoodlums of the sterner sex, bnt hoodlums of the gentler 
and amiable type of humanity — female hoodlums, from thirteen to sixteen years of 
age, short of dress, long of tongue, with bangs, bold eyes, tremendous hats, and 
' Mikado tuck-ups ' to their hair. The street swarms with them, and they seem to 
'know it all.' Not wholly bad, perha])s, but on the road to being so. They are in 
quest of excitement, aching for attention, dying for a dance, hungering for admira- 
tion, and ready to go any length for a compliment. How near akin are vanity and 
vice ! On every hand are lung-testers, vendors of candy, buttons, suspenders, pop- 
corn ; and here and there, on hand-carts, ' bankrupt stocks ' of large wholesale 
houses, purchased at small cost, are disj^layed and offered at ' ruinous sacrifices.' 
The theatres and dime museums are ablaze with light, and crowded with tobacco 
and gum chewers ; the stores are filled to overflowing with bargains ; and every 
corner is buttressed by live statues, many of whom would sooner fight than eat, 
while others have a greater longing for eating than for a bout at fisticuffs." — 
Illustrated New York. 

The old Bowery Theatre, near Chatham sq., still stands, but its fortunes have 



212 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

greatly clianged. It was originally built in 1826, on the site of the older Bull's 
Head Cattle Market, and was opened as the New York Theatre, in the comedy 
The Road to Ruin. It was then the largest theatre in America, and would seat 
3000 people. It was burnt three times, and the present building dates from 1838. 
Many actors of past eminence, and some still in high esteem on the stage have 
performed there, in both tragedy and comedy ; but the Bowery was long ago aban- 
doned by fashion, and with it went the high dramatic respectability which this 
theatre at first commanded. For a long time it was devoted to the most sensa- 
tional melodrama, and then, a few years ago, passed under a German manage- 
ment, and became The Thalia. For a time good plays in German were to be seen 
there, but these were soon taken elsewhere, and now performances in the German- 
Jewish dialect of the region prevail, with an occasional run of so-called English in 
melodrama and " variety bills." 

The other theatres of the Bowery are the People''s and the Windsor, where good 
plays are seen ; and Miner''s, the London, and some lesser ones which give 
" variety " performances. Many so-called "theatres " along the street are simply 
concert saloons. 

" By this title," says a recent clever writer, " New Yorkers understand a class of 
resorts such as a respectable person would not like to be seen in. Formerly 
Broadway, in the neighborhood of Bleecker st., was full of them ; but of late years 
they have come to confine themselves almost entirely to the Bowery. In them 
women are employed as attendants, and a lavish display of gas-jets, and paint and 
tinsel outside, serves to give the passer-by an impression of splendor within which 
the reality by no means warrants. The women are seldom good-looking, vulgar 
as a rule, and ignorant always. The music is furnished from a badly thumped 
piano, the liquors sold are vile, and the women insist on being treated constantly 
to a concoction which they dignify with the name of brandy, and for which they 
charge accordingly. The frequenters of these places are chiefly foolish young 
clerks and mechanics, who labor under the delusion that this is ' seeing life.' 
Strangers should be very careful about going into them." 

The Russian Quarter. — It is getting late. We must hurry eastward. Here 
is Chatham sq. again. A maze of streets radiates off at the left — dark, narrow 
streets leading down toward the East River, and we can see in the distance a few 
of the lights on the Brooklyn Bridge, and distinguish against the sky the shadowy 
blur of a tower. Let us follow the line of the Second Av. El. Ry. up Division st. 
as far as Market st., running the gauntlet of hook-nosed girls in front of the milli- 
nery stores, who, from pure force of habit, will beseech us to go in and buy some- 
thing " for your young lady, sir." It is an odd bit of the city. Then we turn 
down Market, a broad and once important street, which runs down to East River, 
and cross over one block to East Broadway, a semi-fashionable thoroughfare half 
a century ago, but now the central avenue of the Russian and Polish quarter, 
so far as these people can be separated from Jews, Bohemians and Hungarians, 



A HAMBLR AT NIGHT. 213 

who throng a square mile of marvellously crowded tenements in this region. 
Here, among his countrymen, dwells many a political refugee or escaped soldier 
from the dominion of the Tsar ; or if, as is usually the case in New York, the edu- 
cation of the exile enables him to earn enough to live in a better place, he is often 
to be seen here as a visitor. .Signs in Russian letters are frequent. One of these, 
over the door of a basement liquor saloon, suggests to us that we go in and get a 
glass of vodka, or Russian spirits ; there is little in it that differs from any bar- 
room of the vicinity, and the drink is nothing but poor whiskey. The sign of a 
Russian restaurant, kept by J. Balochowsky, at No. 140, attracts us. We find a neat 
room, once the parlor of a big house, where a mother and two comely daughters are 
chatting with half a dozen dark-skinned young men, who sit smoking cigarettes at 
small tables. We get some bread and coffee, and go our way, having seen little 
if anything out of the ordinary. The Russian, the Pole, the Bohemian, is lost at 
once in the American ; but the Jew remains a Jew. 

In " Judea." — We turn disappointedly out of East Broadway, and wander about 
the narrow dirty streets northward: and westward — Forsythe, Allen, Orchard, 
Ludlow, Hester, and Canal. Everywhere si.x- and seven-storied brick tenement 
houses are crowded to their eaves with humanity. One single square mile in this 
part of town holds a quarter of a million persons. Nine-tenths of them are Ger- 
mans or Germanized Jews and Bohemians. They are the hardest-working part of 
the population, and spend the least of "what they earn. The Israelites are the 
most interesting. They form a community by themselves, supplying each other's 
wants and having communication only to a limited extent with outsiders. Here 
is where the fakirs and peddlers who throng the lower part of the town get their 
supplies and learn how to earn their livelihood, even before they have any idea of 
the language of the country. 

There is no special reason why we should come to see them at night, save for 
the picturesqueness of it; except on Thursday night (preceding the Hebrew Sab- 
bath, which begins at Friday's sunset) when the streets, and especially Hester St., 
are crowded to suffocation with crowds of strollers and buyers of the holiday's 
provisions, and long lines of handcarts, selling every conceivable thing and illu- 
minated by flaring oil-torches. The little shops open their doors to the widest, 
and upon every cellar door some zealous merchant displays a heap of second-hand 
goods, and howls out the 'name and virtues of his wares. 

" In that district on the East Side," to quote the New York Sim of recent date, 
"where Chief Rabbi Joseph is the supreme arbiter in the more important matters 
of life . . . the tongue that is known to all the orthodox Jews is a jargon com- 
posed of German, Hebrew, and English. Most of the orthodox Jews who settle 
on the East Side bring with them from Europe a jargon very similar to this one, 
but rarely containing any English. It is known to the more enlightened Gernvan 



214 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 



Jew as Jiidish-Deutsch, and is composed partly of German and partly of He- 
brew. ... In quite a large district, extending around the southern part of East 
Broadway as a centre, this language is not only used in speaking, but also in writ- 
ing. All the signs that are to be found there among the orthodox are printed in 




A CURBSTONE MARKET IN HESTER STREET. 



Hebrew characters, but there are very few Hebrew words in them. Usually the 
words are German, but here and there a corrupted phrase or word from English 
or Hebrew is introduced. . . . All sorts of business in this district are carried on by 
Jews, and therefore these signs are very numerous. They cater, of course, to their 
co-religicnists, and a few Christians who live among them neither patronize them 
nor are patronized by them. Here are to be found Jewish printers, restaurant 
keepers, tailors, grocers, and even saloon keepers. In fact, the Jewish saloon is 
one of the oddest of all the features of this very peculiar district. Some of the 
drinks sold there are distinctive, and the way of conducting business is entirely 
unlike that in any of the other saloons of the city." 



A RAMBLE AT NIGHT. 215 

There are a nuinber of little restaurants on East Broadway, where meals are 
served "<? la Cooner," i. e. prepared after the prevailing fashion of Cooner, a vil- 
lage in Russia ; but the cooking is "kosher," or strictly according to Mosaic re- 
quirements. One little place on Canal st. mixes the German and English in its 
signs to a bewildering extent, and serves such distinctively German dishes as 
" kalb's braten " and " rinden braten." The regular dinner here, including coffee, 
costs only 20 cents. On a little sign on a fancy goods store on Division st. is a 
sentence of eleven words, of which seven are German and four English, all being 
jjrinted in Hebrew characters. A book store on Canal st. has a large sign in which 
there are more than the usual number of Hebrew words, and here is sold every- 
thing an orthodox and devout Israelite would require in the service of the syna- 
gogue, or in his own private devotion to "the law." Inside this store, which is a 
very small one, are rows upon rows of Hebrew books on shelves against the walls. 
There are also copies of Hebrew papers, catechisms, and colored papers on which 
is printed in attractive form for the childish mind the Hebrew alphabet, the first 
literature that the Jewish boy becomes acquainted with. 

Socialists and Anarchists. — A professional slummer would probably next 
take the party down through the Cherry and Water street "dives ;" but these are 
abominable groggenes, near the canal-boat basms and dry-docks along East River, 
frequented by harlots, nver-pirates and cut-throats, and patronized chiefly by sailors, 
canal-boatmen, and the roughs of the Fourth Ward ; and they possess no interest 
beyond their dirt and brutality. Instead of this sorry spectacle, let us jump upon 
a Bowery car, and go up and take a glass of beer with the bright-witted and gay- 
hearted Socialists. Alight at E. 4th St., and walk a few doors west to No. 25. Here 
is a tall, brick building wedged in between others. A flight of stone steps leads 
up to the door, and the balustrade bears the bulletm-board of the two leading 
Socialist newspapers of the city, — The Worktneii's Advocate in English, and Der 
Socialist in German. Door and windows above are dark, but downstairs there is a 
tap-room, and we enter. It is filled with men sitting at round tables, well-dressed, 
fine-looking men, mostly with German countenances and speech. A young man 
serves beer, but is rarely applied to for anything stronger. Newspapers abound. 
Here and there a group are playing chess or cards. The conversation is rajiid, 
but moderate and sensible. It is a pleasant place to sit and smoke our cigars, and 
drink our bit of beer, and rest a little- "Can we see the hall, Herr Blank.'" 
" Of course — come this way." We go upstairs, and find the former parlor of this 
large house turned into a neat hall, where nearly every night meetings are held by 
some society or other for the propagation of socialistic truths and the advance- 
ment of some movement designed to elevate the condition of what Lincoln used to 
call "plain people." Portraits of men like Karl Marx, Guttenberg, Ferdinand 
Lassalle, Fred. Engel, Adolph Donai (the father of Kindergartens), and others 
hang upon the walls, together with insignia of some of the German trade-benefit 
associations. The upper floors are devoted to the editorial rooms and printing 
offices of the Socialistic periodicals before mentioned. 



2i6 - GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Nothing terrible in this, do you say? Perhaps, stranger, you feel a little dis- 
appointment, and beg your guide to show you the lair of the frowsy headed 
Jacobins of the present day — the "red-handed anarchists," whom, by the way, 
these Socialists hate as much as you do. Nothing easier. In the very next block 
eastward, on this same 4th St., is another modestly furnished, well-lighted beer 
saloon, at No. 85, kept by Paul Wilzig. who considers it no disgrace to acknowl- 
edge that he has served a term of imprisonment in Sing Sing because of his views. 
Just what those views are — just what is a New York " anarchist," if he has an 
existence — we cannot stop now to enquire ; but here is where he may be found, if 
anywhere. The bar is a very small and modest affair, hidden away under the 
stairs, to leave as much room as possible for tables. These are crowded with 
men, some of whom have their wives with them. They are evidently foreigners for 
the most part, and are chatting away in half a dozen languages with great good 
humor. You would never imagine them any more harmful, nor half as much so, 
as the congregation in an ordinary river-front groggery. It is quite possible — it 
seems extremely probable — that they are not so. Certainly we have nol been 
within any doors to-night, where we could feel our watches safe in our pockets 
if we took a nap, until we came to these merry Socialists and Anarchists — who, 
however, it must never be forgotten — are utterly antagonistic in political theory. 
Over our head is the office of John Host's weekly newspaper, the Freiheit, and 
here that redoubtable agitator spends much of his time, when he is not in hiding or 
in jail. In this building, too, meets the Progressive Musical Union, which has dis- 
tinguished itself lately by banishing from the streets, for a brief space, the hand- 
organ and "dot leetle German band." 

Our walk is not yet finished, and a cup of good coffee will brighten us. Come 
round the corner to where our friends the Magyars are sipping coffee and smoking 
cigarettes. It is on a corner in lower Second av., and the names on signs we see 
in this neighborhood are all Austrian, Hungarian or Swiss. A long, hot room is 
blue with smoke. Here, again are dozens of little tables surrounded by men, 
while down the center runs a long table piled with newspapers from Buda-Pesth, 
Vienna, Warsaw, and the German and French capitals, mixed with American 
journals and musical periodicals. At the farther end of the room is a counter 
piled with biscuits, cakes, etc., beyond which are two immense coffee urns. 
" Waiter, coffee and cake, all round ! " Here it comes — a neat tray, a large cup 
of strong coffee, three lumps of sugar, a portion of whipped cream and a glass of 
water. Price ? Five cents. You can get genuine coffee cake to go with it if you 
like. There is an incessant buzz of talk, — German, Magyar, English. Half 
the men are playing dominoes or checkers, keeping the score with chalk on 
slates. All smoke cigarettes and those who are not playing are discussing, 
not loudly, yet with vehemence, European politics, always with indignation at 



A Ji AMBLE AT NIGHT. 217 

kingly tyranny and proud comparison of American independence with foreign 
subservience. The fire flashes in the black eyes ; but we can forgive them their 
plottings for the sake of the best cup of coffee east of Broadway. 

Wine, Women, and Song. — Now let us turn our faces uptown, first zigzagging 
across to Third av. and 13th st. It is a dark neighborhood away from the lights 
of the avenue, but there is nothing to be afraid of. Let us push open this door 
near the corner and enter. We find a spacious hall in the rear of a brilliant bar- 
room. A small orchestra, mounted on a stage, is pulling and pushing and pound- 
ing noise out of viol and horn and piano. Presently a big girl, as brazen as the 
instruments, comes out to sing. As music it is dreadful, as a picture worse, yet 
the crowd stays and applauds and calls for more ; and it is not a bad crowd either 
— at any rate early in the evening. In E. 14th St., between Fourth and Third 
avs., a glare of yellow light illumines the whole pavement. Portals of bar-rooms, 
restaurants and amusement resorts of various kinds open and shut with what a 
moralist might call " damnable iteration," as young men and gaudily dressed girls 
pass out and in. A glimpse of this is enough. Westward, 14th st. stretches — a blaze 
of light in front of the big shops that line its south side all the way to Sixth av. 
Female figures flit jauntily along under the glare, but their retreats are in dark- 
ness, elsewhere, and we have no temptation to heed their beckoning to what they 
miscall home. We ride in a horse-car from Union Sq. to Sixth av., and then take 
another car up Sixth av. to 24th st. 

Here, on the corner, is a gorgeous bar-room. We enter it, pass to the rear and 
descend a winding stairway. The basement is a low-ceiled, elongated room with 
cavernous extensions under the sidewalk. The decorations are dark and massive, 
with much carving about the wood work. Along the wall runs a cushioned bench. 
Two long tables and heavy oaken seats occupy much of the floor-space. At the 
end are smaller tables. Hunting horns, old Flemish tankards, — all the ornaments 
and emblems and imitations of an old German beer cellar are here ; but no old 
Germans. The room is crammed with silk-hatted young men about town and 
silk-dressed young women about town. We are content with our stone mugs of 
ale ; but the party at the next table is drinking champagne with silvery laughter. 

We climb the narrow stairs and start up Sixth av. again. It is almost one 
o'clock, but the streets seem full of people, among whom wc notice more col- 
ored faces than heretofore. Step down 25th, 26th, or 27th sts. westward and 
you will find little else than colored tradespeople and lodgers — some good, some 
bad. Thirty-first and 32d st. .are dark and wicked — notwithstanding Jerry Mac- 
auley's " Cremorne Mission " in the latter street, near Sixth av. 

It is now long after midnight, and the horses and cab-dnvers — " night-hawk.s " — : 
under the Elevated Railway station at 33d st. are nearly asleep, 

I<et us go home, 




XII. 

SUNDAY AND RELIGIOUS WORK IN NEW 

YORK. 



REACHING may be heard in New York according to the dic- 
tates ot one's own taste. The means and principal places 
of worship will be described below ; in addition to them, 
irregular services may be found advertised in the newsiJapers, 
-- where, also, the hours of meeting and subject of the next 

day's sermons are announced for many of the leading churches. 
Should the inclination of the reader lead him to go elsewhere 
than to church, he will find his range of indoor sight-seeing 
considerably restricted, since none of the museums, art galleries or libraries are 
open upon Sunday. None of the theatres, properly speaking, give Sunday per- 
formances, except that occasionally some semi-sacred or benevolent entertain- 
ment is shown in the evening. The Eden iVIusee, the Gettysburg Panorama and 
tvi'o or three other exhibitions of that sort are open. On the East Side, and in the 
Bowery, the Hebrew and German places of amusement generally give Sunday per- 
formances, and in summer music is always to be heard at Central Park, and at the 
]3attery, about 4 p. m. The railways suspend the greater number of their trains, 
but in the evening all of the great western and northern expresses are dispatched 
at the usual hours, as also are the steamboats to Boston and Albany. The trains 
of the elevated roads and horsecars and ferries, run as on week days, if anything 
doing a larger business. Most, if not all, of the excursion boats, which in summer 
ply between New York and the seaside resorts, make their ordinary trips, and 
these places are more crowded upon this than upon any other day of the week. 
Extra trains run to Coney Island and High Bridge, and many especial excursions 
may be found advertised. It is a fact, however, that the general tone of the throng 
which takes its outing on Sunday is inferior to that going to the sea-side or other 
pleasure resorts during the week. All places for the sale of liquor are closed by 
]aw (though not in fact, if they have a back door) during the whole Sunday twenty- 



SUNDAY AND RELIGIOUS WORK IN NEW YORK. 219 

four hours, and business generally is suspended ; but restaurants, (except in the 
region below the Post Office) tobacconist's stores, confectioneries, l^arber shops and 
kindred establishments keep open doors. Sunday editions are published by all the 
morning newspapers printed in English, and there are several weeklies that 
appear on this day : but no evening newspaper is printed. 

Protestant Churches. 

Every denomination of Christians is represented in New York, and a few of 
outspoken Paganism. There are said to be over 400 different church buildings in 
the city, varying in seating capacity from 200 to 2,000, All depend on their 
regular congregations, but strangers are welcome at all times, and will be cheer- 
fully provided with seats so long as there are any vacant. Visitors entering a 
church should make their way within the auditorium, and will find a little curtained 
space behind the pews where they may wait comfortably until shown to seats. 
Services in the Protestant churches begin in the morning generally at 10.30 ; in the 
afternoon at 3.30; and in the evening at 7.30. The Roman Catholic churches 
celebrate high mass and vespers at about the same hours. Nothing is implied in 
the order in which the denominations are mentioned herein, except that it seems 
suitable to begin with the oldest. 

The Dutch Reformed Church has the honor of possessing not only the old 
est Protestant organization in New York, but in the Western hemisphere. This 
patriarch is the Collegiate D. F. Church Society, whose 250th anniversary was 
celebrated Nov. 21, 1878. On that occasion the Rev. Dr. Vermilye made a his- 
torical address full of interesting facts, from which the following are culled : 

Late researches show that the church was founded by the Rev. Jonas Michael- 
ius, in !62S, when 50 comniunicants — Walloons and Dutch — assembled at the first 
Lord's Supper. Five years later (1633) came Dominie Everard Bogardus, who is 
popularly regarded as the founder, because he was the first prominent pastor. 
" The primitive organization lives in the Collegiate Church — ' whose were the 
fathers ' — which retains the title, the charter, the unbroken succession of the min- 
istry and consistory, the records from the beginning and the property bequeathed 
from time to time to the ' Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of the City of New 
York.' . . . For forty years the Collegiate Church was the only church in New 
Amsterdam. At first, 1628, they worshipped in a large upper room over a horse- 
mill, which was their house of prayer for seven years. Li 1633 "^^ ^'"'^ instigation 
of Dominie Bogardus, a wooden building was put up at what is now the Old Slip ; 
where they continued to worship until 1642, when a new stone edifice was erected 
in the fort, at the southeast corner of the Battery, and this they occupied for fifty 
years until 1693, when the Garden Street Church was opened — although the loca- 
tion had been seriously opposed as being too far out of town — which objection has 
also been urged at the erection of each successive new church edifice. Until the 
erection of the Garden Street the rights of the church and its property had 
been held by general laws. But in 1696 a regular charter was obtained from 
the Dutch William a year or two before that of Trinity, and the names of the 



220 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

consistory chartered are, some Dutch, some Huguenot, still found amongst 
us." In 1729 the old Middle on Cedar and Liberty streets, long called The 
New Dutch, and since the Post tJffice, was dedicated. In 1775 *'^^ pews were 
torn out by the British troopers, and the building converted into a prison. After- 
ward it became a cavalry school for the army of occupation. In 1790 it was again 
refitted as a j)lace of worship. It was in the old wooden steeple of this building 
that Franklin made his experiments in electricity. 

For some years previous to, and during, the Civil War, the building was occu- 
pied as the city post office, and to go into the galleries of the quaint structure and 
overlook the operations of the clerks used to be one of the sights of the town. It 
has wholly disappeared, as has also the old North Church, which stood in Fulton 
St. near William, and was erected in 1769, when all that region was green fields. 
This society still worships in a chapel at 113 Fulton st., where the famous Fulton 
Street Noonday Prayer Meeting is held daily, from 12 to i. The Middle 
Church moved to a new building at 11 Lafayette PI., but that was torn down some 
years ago, and now the house opposite (at No. 12) has been converted into a 
chapel. 

The finest of the present Dutch Reformed churches, architecturally, is the Third 
(or Fifth Avenue) Collegiate at P'ilth av. and 48th st. Prof. T. S. Doolittle, of 
Rutger's College says of it, that it exhibits a wealth of study in its constructive 
and other decorations. 

" Its groined ceiling rests upon exquisitely carved stone and marble corbels; its 
picturesque organ gallery at the side of the pulpit; its delicately tinted walls in 
diapered patterns; its massive pew-ends, each one carved in a different and 
original manner — in short, all its features, from the most im]}ortant down even to 
the carpet, were executed from full detailed drawings of W. Wheeler Smith, the 
architect, and evince artistic thought and feeling. His whole work is in the style 
of the decorated Gothic of the 14th century." 

The Bloofningdale Church (Boulevard and W. 68th St.), is a handsome build- 
ing of white and gray stone. Another handsome edifice belongs to the Second 
Collegiate of Harletn, at Lenox av. and 123d st. The church at Fifth av. and 29th 
St. is known as the Holland Church, and is a fine building of Vermont marble in 
the Romanesque style. In addition to those heretofore mentioned, some twenty 
other churches and missions of this denomination are scattered about the city and 
its northern suburbs, the latest addition to the list being the Hamilton Avcjiue 
Church, at W. 145th st. and Convent av., which stands upon what was once the 
home estate of Alexander Hamilton. 

Episcopalian. — Next in antiquity as an organization, is the Protestant Ejiis- 
copal (Church of England), where, of course, Trinity heads a list notable for 
splendid architecture as well as good works. The residence of the bishop is at 
160 W. 59th St., and his office at the Diocesan House, 29 Lafayette pi. where also 
js the office of The Churchman, the leading denominational newspaper. A cathe- 



SUNDAY AND RELIGIOUS WORK IN NEW YORK. 221 

dral, to cost several millions, is to be built presently upon the high ground at the 
lower end of Morningside Park (W. iioth st.) now occupied by the Watts & 
Leake Orphan Asylum, so plainly visible from the Elevated Railway at that point. 
The oldest organization in the denomination, and in the city (except the Dutch 
Reformed), and the wealthiest one in the United States, is. 

Trinity Church. — It is on Broadway, facing Wall st. and the Rector st. station 
of the Sixth av. El. Ry. — whose trains overlook its churchyard — is close in its 
rear. The land on which Trinity Church now stands, was the old West India's 
Company's farm, before the Conquest of Manhattan Island by the English. It 
then became " the King's farm," and in 1705 was granted to this, the Colonial 
Church. These lands embraced the entire tract lying along the North River, 
between the present Vesey and Christopher streets. Much of it was subsequently 
given away to institutions of various sorts, but enough remains to constitute a 
property yielding about $500,000 income annually and worth an enormous amount 
at the market prices of real estate in that part of the city. This income is spent 
in the maintenance of old Trinity and six chapels, besides aid to many subsidiary 
missions in various squalid parts of the city; to supporting a long list of charities, 
and to the care of Trinity Cemetery in Manhattanville. The original church, built 
in 1697, and rebuilt in 1737, was destroyed in the great fire of 1776. It was not 
replaced for several years, St. Paul's giving its hospitality to the parishioners; but 
in 178S a new church was erected which stood for half a century. It was then 
torn down, and upon its site arose the present edifice, which was completed in 
1846. 

" This is still," remarks Townsend, " one of the handsomest specimens of Gothic 
church architecture in the city, and its right to rank as the most conspicuous 
structure of the lower part of the city has not yet been taken away by the manv 
statelv public and corporate buildings that have been reared in the neighborhood 
since its dedication. Looking up from Wall st. — at the head of which it stands — 
its steeple rising to a height of 284 feet, conveys an impression of size which build- 
ings of greater dimension but less fortunately situated do not give. The material 
used — a brown sandstone — also helps to increase the general effect, offering as it 
does a decided contrast to the marble and granite of the financial quarter, on the 
ears of whose denizens the famous church chimes break with refreshing sweetness. 
The doors are generally open in the daytime, and nowhere else probably can a 
more striking change of surroundings be produced in a few seconds than by walking 
during business hours from the mercenary uproar of the Stock Exchange, only a 
few yards distant, through these doors. The stillness is only broken by the hushed 
and apparently distant rumbling of the incessant traffic on Broadway and the 
chirruping of the English sparrows, dwellers of the trees in the churchyard. The 
gray tint of the groined roof and its suj^jiorting rows of carved Gothic columns is 
mellowed by the subdued daylight, which is warmed and toned in its passage 
through the richly stained windows, while the altar and reredos rise with their 
]5icturesque alternations of color wherein red and white predominate, and form an 
(irtistic ensemble well worthy of contemplation. 



222 GUIDE TO NEW YORK. 

"The altar and reredos were erected as a memorial to the late William B. Astor 
by his sons. The reredos occupies nearly the whole width of the chancel, and is 
about 20 feet high. The altar is ii feet long and is divided into panels. In the 
central panel is a Maltese cross in mosaic set with camoes, and the symbols of the 
evangelists. 



Trinity Churchyard is beautiful in itself and full of associations of monuments 
of historical interest. Many of the graves go back to the I7tb century. Here are 
buried many well-known persons, among them Alexander Hamilton. 

Of the monuments the most conspicuous is the "Martyrs'," in the northeast 
corner near the street. This was erected by the Trinity corporation in memory of 

the American patriots who died in British prisons 
in this city during the Revolutionary war ; it has 
been said that a secondary (if not the first) motive 
impelling the erection of this monument was a 
desire to prevent the threatened extension of Pine 
St. through the property. Another prominent 
monument, at the left of the entrance, is the one 
to the memory of Captain Lawrence, of the man-of- 
war Chesapeake, whose dying cry " Don't give up 
the ship " is carved upon its pictured sides. 

St. Paul's Church, which stands on Broadway 
between Fulton and Vesey sts., and nearly oppo- 
site the Post Office, is in reality only a " chapel " of 
Trinity Parish. It is the rear which is seen upon 
Broadway, the church originally facing toward the 
North River and commanding a view of it. This 
p^)), edifice was built in 1764-6, and although the third 
in the order of its foundation is now the oldest 
church building in the city. Its architecture is 
good and impressive, and its interior a chaste and 
carefully preserved example of the ecclesiastical 
fashion of 150 years ago. Its venerable walls 
have seen many memorable ceremonies, and in its 
churchyard are resting the bones of famous men and women.. In the rear wall 
facing Broadway is a memorial tablet to General Richard Montgomery, the hero of 
Quebec, while in the churchyard are monuments to Thomas Addis Emmet, the 
Iris'h patriot, George Frederick Cooke, and others- The neat'building on Church 
St., at the western end of St. Paul's Churchyard, is the Vestry of Trinity Parish, 
containing the ofiice of its rector, the Rev, Morgan Dix, and the headquarters of 
its many charitable enterprises. 




ST. PAUL s. 



SUmYDAY and religious work in new YORK. 



Other Chapels of Trinity are St. Johii^s — a noble building on Varick st., oppo- 
site the great freight depot of the Hudson River R. R. — once at the center 
of a fashionable neighborhood, but now in the midst of a most prosaic and god- 
less one; Trinity Chapel, on W. 25th st. near Madison Sq. ; St. C/trysostoin's, 
Seventh av. and 39th st.; St. Coriieli7is's on Governor's Island; and St. Azigustine's, 
in Houston st. just east of the Bowery. 

The illuminated cross which at night blazes in the sky over the crowded and 
miserable tenements of the East Side, is upon the Gothic steeple of St. Augus- 
tine's. The interior [of this church] is finished in Queen Anne style, and is well 
worth inspection as the best si:)ecimen of the kind in the city. The entrance from 
the street is through a broad archway with ornamental iron gates opening into a 
spacious passage-way with an encaustic tile pavement and timbered ceiling. The 

walls are built of neutral-tinted brick, with 
bands of terra-cotta tiles underneath the brack- 
ets carrying the ash beams of the paneled ceil- 
ing. A low round arch at the end with glass 
doors forms the entrance to the vestibule of the 
chapel, which is a mass of warm color, made up 
of mahogany rafters, ornamented walls and ceil- 
ings, polished brass gas fixtures, polished but- 
ternutvvood pews, etc. 

The most prominent church of this denomi- 
nation, next to Trinity, in respect both to its 
congregation and its building, is 

Grace Church. — It stands most advanta- 
geously on Broadway at loth st., just where the 
•great thoroughfare bends slightly westward; 
and it is therefore in view for a long distance 
from both directions. The material is a white 
limestone, which has the effect of marble ; while 
the spire is pure marble. The style is deco- 
rated Gothic elaborately carried out, and the 
rectory and adjoining buildings are harmoni- 
ously adapted to it, while a pretty space of lawn 
and garden makes a pleasing foreground to one 
of the most gratifying architectural pictures in 
New York. Its spire is particularly graceful, 
and contains a melodious chime of bells. The windows and interior of Grace 
Church are very rich in decorations, as would be expected from the many wealthy 
men in this congregation; and this church shares with St. Thomas's the most fash- 
ionable weddings in the city. 

The Chantry, — a small addition on the south side of the church, used for daily 




GRACE CHURCH. 



224 . GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

services — was erected by money given l^y the late Miss Catlierine Wolfe. A new 
building connecting the church and the rectory was erected in 1880, and is used as 
a vestry and clergy-house. It contains a library and reading-room, open to mem- 
bers of the church. Back of the church, in Fourth av., is a day-nursery, erected by 
Mr. Levi P. Morton, in memory of his wife, for the reception of young children 
during the hours their mothers are at work, and known as the Grace Memorial 
Home. Grace Chapel on E. 14th St., opposite the Academy of Music, belongs to 
the parish. 

St. George's, on Rutherford Place, overlooking Stuyvesant Sq., is descended 
from the congregation of the second Episcopal church erected in the city, which 
stood at Beekman and Cliff sts., now the heart of the leather and hardware dis- 
trict. It is a very spacious and handsome building and has an annex, for the 
Sunday School, etc., built in 1888 by Mr. J. Pierrepont Morgan. 

St. Mark's is another venerable church edifice, at Second av., and loth st. 
(9th St. station, Third Av. El. Ry.), which covers the site of a chapel built by 
Stuyvesant, the last of the Dutch governors, whose bones rest beneath its floor. 
The present is the second building and when it was erected, in 1826, there were 
few houses anywhere near, and an uninterrupted view of East River was to be had 
from its stately portico. A little of the green space, which gave it the name St. 
Mark's-in-the-Fields, has been retained, entombing the dust of many citizens once 
foremost among their fellows. 

St. Thomas's Church is at Fifth av. and 53d st., and is perhaps the most fash- 
ionable of up-town houses-of-worship. Its paintings by La Farge, and its illumi- 
nated windows are justly admired. 

The Church of the Transfiguration in 29th st. just east of Fifth av., is now 
known all over the country as '■'■ the liltle church ^round (he coDicr." This name 
is said to have been derived from the refusal some years ago of a certain pastor in 
Madison av., to perform the burial service over the body of the aged actor George 
Holland, bidding the emissary of his friends (who was Joseph Jefferson) go to 
"a little church 'round the corner," where perhaps they might be accommo- 
dated. Since that time the players of the country have held this church 
and Dr. Houghton, its pastor, in veneration ; a memorial window to Harry 
Montague is one of its features, and nearly all actors and actresses who die in 
New York are buried from it. It is a low, cruciform _ building, in Gothic style, 
shaded by trees, its walls are half covered with vines, and altogether it is one of the 
prettiest houses of worship in the city. 

About 80 other churches and chapels of this denomination exist within this city. 

Presbyterianism is the method of one of the oldest and strongest sects in New 
York. The First Church, founded in 17 16, stood orighially in Wall st., near 
Broadway, but now occupies the block on Fifth av. between nth and 12th sts., 
with one of the most dignified edifices of its class in town, Eight pastors have 



SUNDA Y AND RELIGIOUS WORK IN NEW YORK. 225 

succeeded one another there, the present being R. D. Harlan. The next oldest 
church is the Scotch (1756), now in 14th st. near Sixth av. The Brick Church, 
whose tall spire crowns Murray Hill, is next in age, but overreaches both in social 
prominence. Originally (1765), it stood on the triangle, opposite the City Hall, 
now occupied by the Times and Potter buildings, and the Rev. Gardner Spring held 
its pulpit for more than sixty years. Among his successors were Wm. G. F. Shedd, 
until lately a professor at the Union Theological Seminary, and the Rev. Jas. O. 
Murray of Princeton. The present pastor is the Dr. Henry Van Dyke. The 
Rutgers St. Church (now the Rutgers Riverside) was organized in 1798, down 
town, and has finally moved to its present place at 73d st. and the Boule- 
vard. 

Dr. John Hall's church, otherwise the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian, is the most 
fashionable as well as the most popular of the churches of this denomination in 
New York, and is the successor of an old society organized in Cedar st., in 1808, 
which, after several removals, arrived at its present building at Fifth av. and 55th 
St. This is a highly decorated specimen of Gothic architecture. The interior 
presents as great a contrast to the conventional plain meeting-house of former 
days as can well be imagined. Neither carving nor color has been spared, and the 
effect produced is rather more that associated with a theatre than with a church — 
an effect which the light wood used in the paneling and in the construction of the 
pews, and the gradual sloping of the floor from the entrance to the pulpit, help to 
bring out to its fullest extent. Dr. Hall came from Dublin, Ireland, in 1867, and 
has made himself very popular. 

The churches heretofore named are the original Presbyterian churches of the 
city, which number 55 in all, not including several mission chapels. A few others 
of the more prominent should be mentioned. The Madison Square Church is that 
of which Dr. William Adams was so long the pastor, succeeded by the present in- 
cumbent, the Rev. Charles H. Parkhurst. The Fourth Avenue, at the corner of 
22d St., is under the pastorate of Dr. Howard Crosby, the well-known philanthro- 
pist. The West Church is the one in which the Rev. John R. Paxton preaches ; 
the Madison Avenue is under the care of the Rev. C. L. Thompson ; the Church 
of the Coz'enai/f, long ministered to by the Rev. Prof. Marvin R. Vincent, is now 
led by Dr. J. H. Mcllvaine ; and the Phillips Church (formerly Fifteenth St.), at 
Madison av. and 73d St., has as pastor Dr. S. D. Alexander. The Emanuel Chapel 
(6th St. near av. A), and Faith Church (46th st., west of Ninth av.), are noted 
because of their great work among the poor. The headquarters for the many 
Presbyterian societies for church work, home missions, church erection, etc., have 
been brought together at 53 Fifth av., near loth st. This was formerly the resi- 
dence of James Lenox, founder of the Lenox Library, whose heirs and relatives 
permitted the trustees to buy it at a price far below its value ; and the library where 



226 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 



the literary treasures of the former owner were stored, is now the general meeting 
room of the establishment. 

Methodist Episcopal. — Methodism is an old institution in New York. The 
most ancient edifice is in Willet St., near Grand, but the Jolin Street Cluirch is en- 
titled to foremost mention. This building occupies the site of the first Methodist 
church in America, and is known as the cradle of American Methodism. Philip 
Embury, a local preacher from Ireland, of Ger- 
man descent, began preaching in 1766 in his 
own house in Barracks st., now City Hall Place. 
Afterwards a rigging loft at 120 William St., then 
called Horse-and-Cart St., was occupied for a 
time, and the church in John st. was opened in 
October, 1768. This gave place to a larger 
house in 1817, and this again in 1841 to the pres- 
ent building. Some interesting relics and memo- 
rial tablets will be- found there, relating to John 
\Ve"sley and other early leaders. Services morn- 
ing and evening on Sundays, and a prayer meet- 
ing every day at noon. 

The Allen St. Memorial, Rivington st. east 
of Orchard, is the successor of the church in 
Allen St., so famous in the religious annals of the 
city as the center of a remarkable revival about 
1830. Asbury, on East Washington Sq., is the 
successor of an old church in Greene St., where 
was held the General Conference of 1844, when 
the " M. E. Church South " seceded because of 
its adherence to slavery. The present building 
was erected for the South Dutch Ref. Society, 
about 1840, from plans by the architect of Trinity, 
who, it is said, regarded its pulpit as his mas- 
terpiece in that line. The Washington Square 
Cknreh, so called, occupies a marble building in 
4thst., near Sixth av. The Central CJmrch (Seventh 
av. near 14th st.) is the successor of that in Vestry st., which was the first Metho- 
dist church in this city where the pews were rented, and St. PaitP s, now possessed 
of a fine edifice of marble, at Fourth av. and 22d St., succeeds an old one in Mul- 
berry St. The Eighteenth Street, between Eighth and Ninth avs., is the "charter 
church," holding the original deeds, and its trustees are the legal successors of the 
first board. The Madison At'emie (at No. 659) has a fine brown stone building 




CH. OF THE DIVINE PATERNITY. 



SUNDAY AND RELIGIOUS WORK IN NFAV YORK. 227 

recently erected; this is the church made famous by Dr. Newman, who numbered 
General Grant among his parishioners. The pulpit floor of another fashionable 
new M. E, Church, the Park Avenue, is made from timber from the original 
church in John st. Trinity (323 East 18th st.) has the largest membership of any 
Methodist church in the city, and St. James, in W. 126th St., stands second in this 
respect. St. Andrews, on 76th St., between Ninth and Tenth avs., is in a fashion- 
able location and is completing what will be the finest house of worship of this 
denomination in town. 

Old-fashioned Methodist congregations assemble at Bedford st, cor. Morton ; 
in 43d St. near Eighth av., and at 13 Jane st. There are one Swedish, several Ger- 
man and half a dozen African churches — the largest of the colored congregations 
being in Bleecker and Sullivan sts. 

Five-points Mission is elsewhere described, as also are other the charities under 
the care of this Conference. 

The Methodist Book Concern, which is the commercial headquarters of the 
church, is now at home in a new building at Fifth av. and 20th st., which has a 
frontage of 105 feet on Fifth avenue and 170 feet on Twentieth street, is seven 
stories high and cost over $r,ooo,ooo. The first and second floor are devoted to the 
book stores and warerooms of Hunt & Eaton, publishers of Methodistic literature. 
The bishop's offices, library and chapel are on the third floor, and the missionary 
society's on the fifth and sixth floors. The fourth floor is devoted to the. uses of 
the publishing department, the Christian Advocate and the Quarterly Review. 

The Baptist Church in New York goes back to an early date in local history, 
when a congregation met on Golden Hill, at the head of Burling Slip, where they 
were in danger of mob violence on account of their Arminian doctrines, which 
were distasteful to the rest of the people. Gov. Stuyvesant, however, guaranteed 
them protection, and the sect has thriven since, and now numbers 46 churches and 
missions. The most noted of these are : The Fifth Avenue, at W. 46th St.; The 
Madison Avenue, at E. 35th St.; Epiphany, Madison av. and 64th St.; Calvary, 
Si.xth av. and 57th st.; and the Tabernacle on Second av., near loth st. The Tab- 
ernacle is a very handsome building and under Dr. E. Lothrop's late ministrations 
was the leading Baptist church in America. Many of the more obscure Baptist 
congregations are made up of Scandinavians, Germans and Welsh people; and 
one, at least, Mt. Olivet, of Africans exclusively. The Judson Memorial Church, 
hereafter referred to, should perhaps be credited to the Baptist list. 

Congregationalism has not grown as much in New York City as in Brooklyn. 
This is partly due to differences in the condition of the population, partly due to 
the vigorous efforts which Dr. Storrs and Henry Ward Beecher made in their 
early ministry to promote the building of Congregational churches in Brooklyn. 
The foremost one in this city is that of the Tabernacle, at Broadway and 34th st., 



228 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

of which Dr. William M. Taylor is now the pastor. Under its former pastor, Dr. 
James P. Thompson, this chmch took an active part in the anti-slavery movement. 
The Cejifral Churc/i, at 57th st. between Eighth and Ninth avs., is also in a 
flourishing condition with a good property and a large congregation. The Pilgrim 
Chicrch, Madison av. and E. 121st St., is one of the most influential societies in 
that part of the city. It has a fine edifice, a numerous congregation, and main- 
tains one of the largest Chinese Sunday Schools in towns. Trinity is in Tremont ; 
it is a new organization, but has already a beautiful building and is prosperous. 
The other Congregational churches are less important in a social point of view. 

Of Unitarian churches New York has three, two of which are widely celebrated 
by reason of the eloquence of their pastors. All Souls is the oldest, and was 
made by the late Dr. Bellows the most prominent church of this denomination in 
the city, if not in the whole country. It stands at the corner of Fourth av. and 
20th St., and is very conspicuous through its red-and-white Byzantine style of 
architecture. To the irreverent, consequently, it is the " church of the holy zebra." 
The Ch:t}-ch of the Messiah, at 61 E. 34th st., corner of Park a v. is now distinguished 
by the oratory of the Rev. Robert Collyer, its pastor, and is a very handsome 
structure. In Harlem the Unitarians have a chapel at 74 E. 128th st. 

The Lutheran denomination is as strong in New York as might be expected of 
its large German population. Its churches are mainly on the East Side and in 
Harlem, but are not confined to those quarters. Nearly the oldest, if not quite 
so, is St. Mathias, at the corner of Broome and Elizabeth sts., where service is still 
held and a school maintained in one of the worst precincts in the city. St. James, 
in E. i6th st. is also prominent. The " Gertnan Evangelical Keformetr'' church is 
at 97 Suffolk St. 

Quakers, or Friends, have two meetmg-houses, one at 144 E. 20th st. and 
another on Rutherford PI., facing Stuyvesant Sq. A Moravian society worships at 
154 Lexington av., with a mission at 636 Sixth av. 

Three Universalist churches may be found, viz : Church of the Divine Pater- 
nity, 538 Fifth av., the Second, 121 E. 127th St., and the Third, 133 W. nth st. 

The Israelitish population of the city has been growing with great rapidity dur- 
ing the past decade, and their synagogues now number about forty. Most of them 
are small edifices, in the narrow East Side streets ; but many are scattered along 
the avenues, and beautify them by their oriental architecture. Such are Beth-El, 
817 Lexington av. ; Bnai Jeshurun, Madison av. near 65th st; Hand in Hand, and 
Temple Israel, in Harlem : Shaarai Tephila, 127 W. 44th st. : and, most notable of 
all, Temple Emanu-El, northeast corner of Fifth av. and 43d st. which is the 
finest specimen of Moorish architecture in America, and one of the costliest relig- 
ious structures in the city. It is built of brown and yellow sandstone, with the 
roof of alternate lines of red and black tiles. The center of the facade on Fifth 



SUNDA V AND RELIGIOUS WORK IN NEW YORK. 



229 



iv., containing the main entrance, is flanl'Cecl by two towers or rather minarets, both 



richly carved, as is 



entire 




TEMPLE EMANU-EI.. 



There are five doors leading from the 
avenue to the vestibule, from which the 
interior of the temple is reached. Inside 
there is a rich profusion of oriental dec- 
oration and coloring. The congregation 
belongs to the reform wing of the Jewish 
faith. 

Some miscellaneous churches and 
missions should not be forgotten. The 
Church of the Strangers, of which Dr. 
C F. Deems is pastor, appeals directly 
to readers of this book; it is at 299 Mer- 
cer St., near 8th st., and sustains impor- 
tant missions among the debased people 
of the region somewhat to the south of 
it 'YVq Swedenborgiaiis \]ox%\{\\} at 114 
E 35th St., and (in German) at 141 
Chrystie. The Mariner's Chmrh at 46 
Catherine st. (near Chatham sq.) is in- 
teresting, as are services at the Howard, 
Florence, Cremorne (occupying an old 
dance-house at 104 W. 32d 6t.), and sev- 
eial other missions. There is about to 
be erected, on the Thompson st. corner 
of Washington Square, a mission church 
to the memory of Adoniram Judson, the 
first foreign missionary sent <5ut by the 
American Board. He labored in India 
ssM""^ and Burmah for 37 years, and died on 
^^ his homeward voyage in 1850. This 
building will cost $250,000 and will make 
an imposing appearance. 



Roman Catholic Churches. 



Roman Catholicism met with great prejudice and material obstacles when 
it first endeavored to gain a foothold in New York, and failed to do so until after 
the Revolution ; but now it probably leads all other denominations in the number 



230 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

of its communicants drawn from every rank of society ; and in its Cathedral it 
possesses an edifice whicli architecturally surpasses any other in the United 
States. The first priests who officiated in the city were the chaplains of the 
French regiments sent over here to aid the Colonics in their struggle for inde- 
pendence, but the authorities would not permit Mass to be celebrated until after 
the close of the war. The few Catholics in New York were then occasionally 
ministered to by Father Farmer, who came over from Philadelphia for the pur- 
pose. The band increased and in 1786 a charter was procured and land bought 
at the corner of Barclay and Church sts., upon which was erected 6"/. >d'Av-V,— the 
first Roman church in the city. 

A picture of St. Peter's, dated 1831, shows a building with a broad, but not tall 
tower, surmounted by a cupola with a bell-shaped top. The grounds, in which 
large trees then grew, were surrounded by a wall carrying an iron fence, and con- 
taining a small burying ground. The king of Spain and the French and Spanish 
ambassadors to our new government were its chief benefactors. I-ater $5000 were 
collected in Mexico, for its benefit, with a number of pictures for its adornment. 
One of its conniuniicants was Mrs. Elizabeth A. Seton, afterwards founder of the 
Sisters of Charity in the United States. In 1838 the present stately church 
replacing the original edifice was opened in the midst of a crowd of buildings and 
din of traffic never dreamed of by its builders. 

In 1808 the diocese of New York (including the whole state and New Jersey) 
was set off from that of Baltimore, and in 1809 the corner-stone of the old St. Pat- 
rick's Cathedral in Mott st. was laid, but the building was not ready for consecra- 
tion until 181 5. It was by far the best church in the city at that time. The first 
bishops were successively Connolly and Dubois, both of whom, with several 
early priests, are buried beneath the pavement. It still serves the purposes of 
a parish church, and has preserved a little of its old burial-ground. 

In 1840 the Catholics in New York were estimated at 35,000, and had eight 
or ten churches. "In 1870," to quote Archbishop Corrigan's latest report, " the 
Catholic population of the diocese was 525,000; to-day it is 800,000. In 1870 the 
number of churches, was 113; in 1890 it is 196. This makes no account of the 
vast improvement in the size and beauty of our church edifices. No account is 
made of the substitution of new buildings for old. There were in 1870, 210 priests 
in the diocese. The present number is 496. The numljer of Sisters in the 
diocese in 1870 was 800: now it is 2,268. The schools twenty years ago numbered 
120: now they are 229. In 1870 many of the schools were in poorly lighted and 
ventilated basements. There has been a vast improvement in the two decades, 
and the schools now being built will compare favorably with any in the city. In 
1870 23,000 children attended the parish schools ; now the number is 48,000." 

The Cathedral is the first, of course, of the Roman churches, and the great 
show-church of the city ; it is described at length further on. 



SUNDA Y AND RELIGIOUS WORK IN NEW YORK. 231 

About 70 other Roman Catholic churches are catalogued of which only a few 
need be commented upon. The oldest, as has been said, is St. Feter''s (Barclay 
and Church sts.). Among others of comparatively great age are : Epiphany (373 
Second av.) lately presided over by Dr. Burtsell; Immaculate Conception (Morris- 




THE CATHEDRAL, FROM THE NORTH. 

ania), a German congregation, and to be distinguished from the church of the 
same name at 505 E. 14th st., where Father Edwards was pastor ; Mary, Star of 
the Sea, (7 State st.) for sailors, etc. ; St. Aiidrew^s (Duane st.) : St. Bridgefs (123 
Av. B) ; ^V. _/;Wd'jV (32 James St.); St. Joseph'' s (59 Sixth av.), the parish of 



232 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Father Farrell, who became very notable as an anti-slavery preacher and writer, 
before and during the Civil War ; St. Mary's (near Grand st. ferry), and St. Patrick's, 
the old cathedral, at Mott and Prince sts., now ministering chiefly to Italians. 
Churches distinguished by race are : Mount Carniel {w"] E, 115th St.), Italian; St. 
Benedict the Moor (210 Bleecker St.), African; St. Vincent de Paul {i2'j W. 23d 
St.), French; Immaculate Conception (Morrisania), St. Joseph's (E. 87th st. near 
First av.), St. Joseph's (Ninth av. and 125th st), St. Mary Magdalen (17th st. 
and Av. B), German ; and St. Stanislatcs's (43 Stanton St.), Polish. Father Brophy's 
church was that of the Sacred Heart (447 W. 51st st.) ; and Dr. Bram's, now 
Father IMcDonald's, St. Agnes (143 E. 43d St.). The Jesuits have an imposing 
church and college dedicated to St. Francis Xavier in W. i6th st. near Sixth av. ; 
and another, St. Larurence's in E. 84th st. near Fourth av. ; and the Dominicans' 
church is St. Vincent Ferrer, Lexington av. and E. 66th st. All Saints, Madison 
av., cor. E. I2gth st., is the most noted R. C. house of worship in Harlem, and has 
just completed an extremely handsome rectory. Mohsignor Farley's church is 
another wealthy one, at 312 E. 37th St.; but the most fashionable church of the 
city, next to the Cathedral is probably St. Stephen's, 140 E. 2Sth St., which was lately 
in charge of Dr. McGlynn, whose quarrel with the ecclesiastical authorities, and 
whose oratory in propagating the doctrines of the Anti- Poverty Society, at whose 
Sunday evening meetings in the Cooper Union he speaks almost every week, 
have made him famous. This church is an Italian Renaissance building, the 
interior of which is spacious and richly decorated and contains an especially 
beautiful altar. 

THE CATHEDRAL. 

The Cathedral, on Fifth av. between 50th and 51st sts. should not be omitted 
from the list of places strangers ought to visit in New York. Its projector 
was the late Archbishop John Hughes, and the architect was James Renwick. All 
the designing and execution of the work, mechanical and artistic, was done in New 
York, except certain adornments, hereafter mentioned. The corner-stone was laid 
on Aug. 15, 1858, in the presence of 100,000 persons, who had room to stand on 
the adjacent lots, then vacant. On May 25, 1879, ^^^ structure was dedicated by 
Cardinal McCloskey, who died in 1885. 

From an elaborate account written by the architect, we learn that this cathedral 
is an example of the decorated and geometric style of Gothic architecture which 
prevailed in Europe from 1275 to 1400, and of which the cathedral of Cologne and 
the nave of Westminster are advanced exponents; and that although Europe can 
boast larger ones, for purity of style, originality of design, harmony of proportions, 
beauty of material, and finish of workmanship, New York Cathedral stands unsur- 
passed. 



SUNDA Y AND RELIGIOUS WORK IN NEW YORK. 233 

Architectural Details. — The plan is a Latin cross, and the dimensions are : 
Length, 306 ft.; breadth of nave and choir, 96 ft. without the chapels and 120 
ft. with the chapels; length of the transept, 140 ft.; height, 108 ft; height of side 
aisles, 54 ft. Above the granite base-course the whole exterior is of white marble 
from Pleasantville, Westchester Co., N. Y., and from Lee, Mass. The principal 
front, on Fifth av., consists of a central gable, 156 ft. in height, flanked by twin 
towers and spires, 330 ft. high. The grand portal in the lower division of the cen- 
tral gable has its jambs richly decorated with columns with foliage capitals, and 
has clustered mouldings, with rich ornaments in the arch, which is also decorated 
and fringed with a double row of foliated tracery. It is intended at some future 
period to place statues of the Twelve Apostles in the coves of the jambs of this 
portal, in rich tabernacles of white marble. A transom of foliage, with emblematic 
designs, crosses the opening of the door, over which a window, with beautiful 
tracery, tills in the arch. The gablet over the main portal is richly panelled with 
tracery, having the arms of the diocese in the central panel. The label over the 
gable is crocketed with an original design of the grape-vine and morning-glory, 
intertwined and alternating in the crockets, and the whole is terminated by a very 
rich and beautiful finial. The door is ilanked on either side by buttresses termi- 
nating in panelled pinnacles, and between these buttresses and the tower but- 
tresses are niches for statues. The horizontal balustrade over the first story is of 
rich pierced tracery. Over this and across the whole gable except over the cen- 
tral portal, is a row of niches for statues. 

Above, a richly moulded Gothic jamb encloses a magnificent rose window, 26 ft. 
in diameter, equalling those of the greatest cathedrals abroad. Above this rose- 
window the main gable is carried up to the roof-lines, and is veiled by a pierced 
screen of rich tracery, terminated by a label-cornice which is crocketed. The 
crockets are designed from leaves and flowers of the passion-flower, and at the 
gable entwine a foliated cross bearing the emblem of the Sacred Heart. The 
towers rise square to 136 ft., where they change into octagonal lanterns 54 ft. 
high, over which are the spires, 140 ft. in height, making the total height of each 
tower and spire, 330 ft. ; they are flanked by massive buttresses decorated with 
very light and beautiful tabernacles at each offset, and terminated by clustered 
pinnacles, which join the buttresses of the octagonal lanterns. The spires are 
octagonal, built in two stories, have rich moulding in the angles, and the faces 
panelled with traceries; they terminate in a magnificent foliage finial carrying 
crosses made of copper. Circular stone stairways are carried up in the buttresses 
of the towers, and a full chime of bells will soon be placed at a height of no ft. 
above the ground. These twin spires are newer than the rest of the church 
and still white and perfect. They are visible for a long distance, should be 
studied through an opera-glass to realize how fine and beautiful is the carving, 
and are a subject of pride and delight to all the citizens of the metropolis. 

Visitors should walk around the Cathedral and note the fine details of its 
architecture from various points of view — the buttresses, pinnacles and side 
arches ; the ornamented gables and great windows of the transept, 58 ft. high and 
28 ft. wide. Some day statues will fill the numerous niches. The side aisles of 
the transept are flanked by octagonal buttresses, in which are stairways leading to 
the triforium and roofs. The apse, or curved head of the cruciform ground-plan, 
is five-sided externally, and, like the other parts, is divided by the biittresses into 



234 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

bays, each of which is pierced by a grand window filled with stained glsss, pro- 
tected by a second window of white glass. The roofs of the side-aisles and 
clerestories are slated, and the clerestory roof is terminated by a gilded metal 
cresting with a central tinial at the intersection of the nave and transepts 15 ft. in 
height, terminated by a cross at the east end of the roof 13 ft. in height, and gilt 
with flowers and foliage. 

The Interior of the Cathedral, like its exterior, is cruciform, divided in its 
ground-plan into a nave, two transepts, and a choir or sanctuary. The nave of the 
building, or the entire portion between the transepts and Fifth av., is 164 ft. long 
and 96 ft. wide between the side-aisle walls, or 124 ft. broad including the side, 
aisle chapels, which are seven in number, on each side, with corresponding illu- 
minated windows above them. The transept, or arins of the cross, measures 144 
ft. ; and the sanctuary is 95 ft. long, to the extremity of the curve of the apse, under 
which is a crypt for the entombment of the archbishops, which will hold 42 coffins ; 
Cardinal McCloskey's body rests there. The transept and sanctuary have bays, like 
the nave. The columns dividing the central aisle from the side aisles are of white 
marble, clustered to the height of 35 ft. where they are ornamented with foliated 
capitals. The arches between these columns rise to 54 ft., and are four in number 
on each side, corresponding to the divisions of the clerestory windows, which are 
a continuation of the tracery of the triforium. The ceiling, 77 ft. from the floor, is 
groined with richly moulded ribs. The floor is largely occupied by pews which will 
seat about 2500 people, buf broad aisles and spaces remain clear in which visitors 
may walk about freely. The floor of the choir before the High Altar is elevated. 

The alcoves (bays) along the walls will ultimately be filled with chapel altars, 
but are now occupied by small confessionals. It is intended to erect, in the near 
future, an additional building, in the form of a chapel to Our Lady, which will 
stand in the rear of the apse, and between the residence of the Archbishop and the 
Rectory (460 Madison av.) where dwell the clergymen in attendance upon the 
cathedral. In this chapel will be placed the confessionals and the Stations of the 
Cross, which are temporarily arranged, at present, in the south transept. The 
building is lighted by gas jets, placed for the most part around the capitals of the 
great central columns, and is heated by steam. It is open at all reasonable hours, 
and the verger will answer any questions. 

Altars. — The High Altar* is at the east end of the nave, in the central aisle of 
the choir, and conceals from view the sacristy (temporary) where the sacerdotal 
procession that precedes the Mass is vested and arranged. 

* The description of the altars and windows is greatly condensed from the pamphlet on 
the Cathedral by the Rev. Wm. Quinn, which gives large additional details on these and 
other points, and should be in the hands of interested visitors. It is for sale by the verger at 
^he Cathedral, 



SUNDAY AND RELIGIOUS WORK IN NEW YORK. 235 

This altar was made in Italy and is of Carrara marble, inlaid with alabasters 
and precious marbles. The front of the bottom part of the altar is divided into 
niches and panels; the niches containing statnes of the four Evangelists, the 
panels representing in bas reliefs the Last Supper, the Carrying of the Cross, the 
Agony in the Garden. The tabernacle on the altar is of marble, decorated with 
Roman mosaics, and has a door of gilt bronze set with emeralds and garnets. It 
is the gift of His Eminence John, Cardinal McCloskey, whose hat is suspended 
over the center of the choir. The reredos or altar-screen, -^t^ ft. wide and 50 ft. 
high, was carved in France^ and was presented by the clergy of the Archdiocese. 
The centre tower of the reredos has a niche containing a statue of our Lord, and 
the two flanking towers bear statues of St. Peter and St. Paul. The spaces 
between the central and the two corner towers are divided into six niches, con- 
taining angelic figures bearing emblems of the Passion. 

The Allai- of the Blessed Virgin is at the eastern end of the north side-aisle of the 
sanctuary, and is French stone, delicately sculptured into panels containing in 
low relief, such subjects as the Birth of Our Lord, the Annunciation, and the 
Descent from the Cross. 

The Altar of the Sacred Heart in the south transept, i^ of bronze, and its four 
statues represent the sacrifices of the old dispensation, and, in the middle, Jesus 
holding a chalice. The columns on each side, surmounted by bronze statues of St. 
Peter and St. Paul, are a gift from Pope Pms IX. This altar was presented to 
the Cathedral by Cardinal McCloskey. 

The Altar of tJie Holy Family is in the north transept. Its reredos, of carved 
Caen stone, is divided into three panels, the center one having a painting of the 
Holy Family by Castaggio, and was the gift of Joseph Donahue, of San Francisco. 

The four altars above described are said to have cost about $100,000. 

St. Joseph'' s Altar, west of the sacristy, is of bronze and mosaic. In the middle 
one of the three scenes, the Archangel Gabriel announces the Incarnation to the 
Virgin ; on the Gospel side vSt. Joseph teaches the infant Jesus his trade, and 
opposite St. Anne instructs the child Mary. This altar was given by Mrs. Agnes 
Maitland. 

The Archbishop's Throne, on the left, within the sanctuary is notable for its 
elaborately carved Gothic canopy. 

The Pulpit — a gift of the clergy of the diocese to Cardinal McCloskey on his 
" Jubilee " in 1884 — is erected at the first column, outside the rich altar rail. 

" It' is of the same style of Gothic architecture (Norman) as the building itself, 
and was designed by the same architect. It was carved and finished at Carrara, 
Italy, and is from the quarry which furnished the columns of the portico of the Pan- 
theon at Rome. It is octagonal in form and carried by eight columns of beautiful 
Sienna marble, with their bases and caps moulded and enriched with carvings, 
and resting on a finely moulded pedestal of Carrara marble. Over these columns 
the outward swell of the corbel or body begins ; the surface is divided by light 
mouldings, and tastefully ornamented with oak and chestnut leaves; the cornice 
of the corbel, enriched with carvings of the bell flower, marks the starting line of 



236 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

the latera or sides of the pulpit ; each side representing the perfect triform Gothic 
arch: sustained by columns of Mexican onyx, and moulded, panelled, and highly 
ornamented. On the angles between each side are niches, in which are placed 
statuettes of pure white statuary marble The statuette in the niche nearest the 
sanctuary, represents St. John the Evangelist; the next, St. Peter; St. Patrick 
occupies the center niche; on his left, is St. Paul ; and in the fifth and last is the 
statue of St. Andrew, the Apostle." The rostrum is reached by a flight of steps 
winding around the marble column, carrying a balustrade of rich, pierced tracery 
work. The marble in which this work is executed is known to conniosseurs as 
canal-bianco, and is from the quarry from which were extracted the marble columns 
of the portico of the Pantheon, at Rome. 

The Windows of St. Patrick's Cathedral have been called the finest collection 
of examples of painted glass in the world. All are the product of French art- 
workers, and most of them were made under the very shadow of the Cathedral 
of Chartres, where the most beautiful specimens of the Xlllth Century stained 
gla.ss are preserved. Of these windows, t,-j represent figures and action, and 
twenty mote are filled with stained glass in geometric designs. 

The first to be mentioned is St. Patrick's Window, the great six-parted one over 
the south transept door, which portrays in eighteen scenes the whole life of the 
patron saint of Ireland. 

Beginning at the base of the left hand bay, and reading the scenes upward in 
lines of three each, we find: i. The baptism of St. Patrick; 2. He is taken 
prisoner at the age of thirteen ; 3. An angel reveals to him his vocation ; 4. He 
preaches the gospel on board a ship ; 5. He is sold to King Milcho ; 6. He is set 
at liberty at Maestric; 7. He is made a cleric by his uncle, St. Martin, Bishop of 
Tours; 8. He pursues his studies in the island of Lerins; 9. He is ordained a 
priest by Bishop Sancaur; 10. He sets out for Rome; ii. He receives the bless- 
ing of Pope Celestine ; 12. He is consecrated Bishop by St. Amataur; 13. He 
visits St. Germain d'Auxerre; 14. He converts Dichu and his family (on his arrival 
in Ireland); 15. He gives Holy Communion to the princesses Ethna and Feth- 
lema; 16. He raises Malfric from the dead; 17. The Saint's death; 18. The 
angels singing his funeral dirge. In the center of the tracery is the beautifully exe- 
cuted scene of St. Patrick's coronation in heaven. 

This window is from the atelier of Ely, at Nantes, and is seen to best advantage 
just before sunset. It was the gift of "Old St. Patrick's Cathedral to the New." 

The Wiiidcno of the Blessed Virgin, over the north transept door, contains 19 
scenes, read from left to right in lines of six each. 

Beginning at the bottom of the left hand bay, we find: i. The nativity of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary ; 2. Her presentation in the temple ; 3. She is taught by St. 
Anne ; 4. Espoused to St. Joseph ; 5. The Annunciation ; 6. The angel apjiears 
to St. Joseph in his sleejj ; 7. The Blessed Virgin visits St. Elizabetli ; 8. The 
Nativity of our Lord; 9. The Shepherds adore the Infant Jesus ; 10. Adoration of 
Jesus by the Magi ; 11. Presentation of the Infant Jesus in the temple; \2. The 
flight into Egypt,* 13. Joseph carries th? Ipfant Jesus during the journey ; 14. The 



SUNDA Y AND RELIGIOUS WORK IN NEW YORK'. 237 

Holy Family in Nazareth ; 15. The Mother of Sorrows ; 16. Descent of the Holy 
Ghost upon Mary and the Apostles; 17. Death of the Blessed Virgin; 18. The 
Assumption. High above in the center of the tracery is the scene of our Lady's 
coronation. In tlie tracery around the coronation scene, the trefoils, etc., are filled 
with the symbols of the various titles of the Blessed Virgin. 

This window is said by many critics to be the finest in the collection. It — and 
the series coming next — are by Lorin of Chartres ; and it was given by the clergy 
of the diocese of Albany. 

Turning toward the sanctuary, we observe in the clerestory eleven windows, of 
which tie si.x lateral ones represent subjects relating to sacrifice ; and the re- 
mainder are devoted to the history of Our Lord. Of the former series the first is 

The Sacrifice of Abel, and it was the gift of Charles and John Johnston. The 
subject of the next is 

The Thanksgiving Sacrifice of Noe (Noah), who "built an altar unto the Lord, 
and taking all cattle and fowls that were clean offered holocausts upon the altar." 
The effect of the rainbow, as seen at night when the interior of the Cathedral is 
illuminated, is something remarkable. The adjoining window represents 

The Sacrifice of Me/chiseJech, when " Melchisedech, th6 King of Salem, bring- 
ing forth bread and wine, for he was the priest of the most high God, blessed 
Abram, and said : Blessed be Abram by the most high God, who created heaven 
and earth." Crossing to the south side the first window there represents 

The Sacrifice of Abraham, at the moment when the angel bade him stay his 
knife. This picture in glass is the gift of D. J. Murphy, of San Francisco. The 
subject of the next is 

Eating the Paschal Lamb, and is treated in a peculiarly graphic and detailed 
manner. The sixth and last of this series is 

Calvary. — " In the distance rises the Mount of Calvary, with three naked 
crosses standing out against the sky. The sacrifice is over, Christ has been laid in 
the tomb. The sun of Justice is rising behind Calvary. An allegorical figure of 
Error is seen fleeing into the night, surrounded by owls and bats and the emblems 
of darkness, and stumbling over the debris of broken altars and implements of 
Pagan worship. In the foreground rises an allegorical figure of Truth, who, with 
uplifted cross, rules the world. Before this figure stands an altar on which a 
kneeling form is placing the noblest offering ever made to Truth in this hemis- 
phere. The figure is that of his Eminence the Cardinal Archbishop of New 
York ; the offering is the new St. Patrick's Cathedral." This is the gift of John 
Laden. 

The windows of the curving apse should be read from the south side around 
to the left. The first is 

The Resurrection of Lazarus, and its donor is Miss McLaughlin. Next it is 



238 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

The Comiiiunion of St. John, representing a touching scene at the Last Sujiper 
and presented by Miss Mary Caldwell to commemorate her first communion. 
Next, in the most conspicuous position, is portrayed 

The Kesiirrection of Our Lord. — Mary Magdalen, Joanna, and Mary the mother 
of James, are seen approaching in the distance. This window is inscribed " From 
the Diocese of Buffalo." The subject of the fourth window is 

Giving the Keys to Peter; a gift of the diocese of Brooklyn. The fifth and 
last of thisseries represents 

Jesus meeting the Disciples going to Ei)tinaits, whom he reproaches with their 
incredulity. The tracery of all these windows teems with figures of angels and 
scripture-texts. 

The Lady Chapel, adjoining, has windows that merit notice. That in the 
first bay represents X\i& Presentation of the Blessed Virgin in the Temple ; the high 
priest advances to receive the child, while St. Joachim and St. Anne stand in the 
background. This is a memorial to Tammany's old-time leader, the Hon. John 
Kelly. The next is the Adoration of the Shepherds, given by Thos. H. O'Connor. 
The third exhibits the Holy Babe, and is due to Mrs. Julia Coleman. Opposite 
it, on the south aisle, is the Death of St. Joseph. In the center bay of the next one 
stands a life-size figure of St. Alphonsns Ligonri, vested in cope and mitre and 
holding the Monstrance in his hand. The scene underneath represents St. Alphon- 
sus miraculously giving speech to a dumb youth. The figure in the left-hand bay 
represents Ste. Teresa, and that on the right is Ste. Susanna, the martyr — that under- 
neath being the angel protecting Susanna from the evil designs of Maximian, the 
infidel, and chosen heir to the Roman throne, to whom her relative, the emperor 
Diocletian, wished to wed her, but she chose to suffer death, rather than obey him. 
These three last named were given by the Loubat family. 

The next window, over the Altar of St. Agnes, is divided in the same way. In 
the centre a life-size figure of St. Agnes, the virgin martyr of Rome, is seen ; under- 
neath the angel protects her from the pagan and casts him, blinded, to the ground. 
In the right-hand bay the Apostle St. James the Greater stands forth ; the 
scene below this figure represents the Blessed Virgin appearing to him at Sara- 
gossa, in Spain, on the site of which was built a church that is known to the 
present day as the Church of the Pillar of St. Mary. The figure in the left-hand 
bay is St. Thomas, the Apostle ; underneath he is seen touching the sacred wound 
in the side of Our Lord. This window is the gift of Mrs. Agnes Maitland. 

Having described the windows of the sanctuary, we turn now to the southern 
arm of the transept, where we meet, first : 

The Window of St. Lonis, King of France, who, in return for services to Bald- 
win, emperor of Constantinople, received many relics of Calvary. The sub- 
ject is the procession in which these relics are borne to La Sainte Chapelle, in 



SUNDAY AND RELIGIOUS WORK IN NEW YORK. 239 

Paris. Behind tlie king is seen Queen Blanche, his mother, surrounded by nobles. 
H. L. Hoguet was the donor. Next in order conies the window of 

The Sacred Hearty given by Mrs. E. Iselin ; following which is 

St. PdiiPs Windotu, where the apostle is portrayed speaking to the Athenians 
on the Areopagus. Prominent among the audience is Dionysius, the convert, 
who, tradition says, afterwards founded the church of Paris. This piece is in- 
scribed to John Kelly, from his brother Eugene. Adjoining this is the window of 

Sf. Augustine at the deathbed of St. Monica, his mother, with Ostia-on-the-Tiber, 
where she died, in the distance. This window is a memorial erected by the 
wealthy Misses Caldwell to their parents. 

St. Mdttheiv's Windoiv, is on the east side of the north transept door ; and St. 
I\Iark's is on the west side of the same door. 

In the south transept, on the west side of the entrance, \sSt. Luke's Windoiu and 
St. John's is opposite. In each case, of the above, four scenes from the life of the 
saint fill the lateral bays of his window, and all are the work of Ely, of Nantes. 

On the west wall of the north transept is the 

Windcrw of St Charles Borromeo, who advances in solemn procession from the 
door of the cathedral of Milan into a concourse of plagiie-stricken citizens. This 
window was the gift of L. Delmonico, the restaurateur. On the west wall of the 
south transept is the 

Windo7o of St. Patrick, designed and presented by the Architect Renwick. 
St. Patrick is j^reaching to Irish peasants, one of whose primitive wooden churches 
(see Century, 1S89), is depicted in the distance. 

The scene underneath represents the architect submitting his plan to Archbishop 
Hughes, who is seated at a table. Cardinal McCloskey stands in the foreground, 
holding the diagram of that part of the building which he has altered from the 
original plan. Behind His Eminence stands M. Lorin, the maker of the window. 
The portraits are e.xcellent, and the minute details exquisitely rendered. 

Turning now toward the long aisles of the nave there remain ten windows which 
merit far more attention than can be given here. Dr. Quinn describes them in 
detail, and the names of their donors can easily be read by visitors. Beginning on 
the north, or Gospel side, at the angle of the transept, we first meet 

St. Bernard's ^///(^/czc, where the saint is preaching the Second Crusade; his 
habit is that of the Cistercian order. The next portrays the 

Martyrdom of St. Latvrence, and will repay study. Adjoining this is the 

Windoiv of the Christian Brothers, representing the special approbation of Pope 
Benedict XIII. (1725). Next comes the brilliant 

Window of St. Columbanus, which depicts his encounter with the riotous 
Thierry II., King of Burgundy, who has come to visit him, bringing rich presents 
of viands and wine. St. Columbanus meets the King at the door of the monas- 



240 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

teiy, rebukes him for his scandalous life, and with a blow strikes from the hand of 
the attendant the rare vessel of wine, saying : " God rejects the gifts of the 
wicked, nor ought they to pollute the lips of the servant of God." The King is at 
once converted. Behind the King is seen the stately figure of Brunchilda, retreat- 
ing, with a gesture of reprobation, toward her converted husband, and regarding 
the monk with a look of intense hatred. The four windows last enumerated are 
from Lorin's shop. The last in this, the north aisle, is the 

Window of the Three Baptisms, appropriately placed near the main entrance, 
and over the chapel of the baptistery. In the central bay is the scene of our Lord's 
baptism by St. John, the baptism of water; to the right is the scene of a martyrdom, 
and in the left bay a solitary reclining figure dying with a desire to be baptized. 

Crossing to the south aisle of the nave, the first one met with is the 

Window of St. Vincent de Paul, the legendary messenger of charity. In the 
right-hand one of the lateral pictures, the saint is represented calmly seated while 
the ball-and-chain of a galley-slave is made fast to his foot. The prisoner whose 
punishment the holy man has taken on him is going on his way rejoicing; on the 
left St. Vincent's devotion to homeless children is suggested. The last two win- 
dows are by Ely. Next fqllows a window, the three bays of which hold figures of 

St. Elizabeth, St. Andrew and St. Catherine. — The first of these (on the left side) 
was Queen of Hungary and good to the poor. One day, when carrying bread 
to some pensioners, she was met by her husband, who suspected her of hav- 
ing a lover and insisted upon seeing what she carried with such an attempt at 
concealment. The queen unfolds her mantle, when lo ! the bread has been 
miraculously turned into flowers, — heaven's approbation. In the center St. 
Andrew seems to be taking upon him his cross of martyrdom. In the right com- 
partment is the figure of St. Catherine, of Alexandria, who holds in one hand the 
palm branch of victory, and with the other leans on a wheel, the instrument of her 
glorious death. Beneath is a rendering of the visionary espousals of St. Cather- 
ine to our Lord, which Rubens has made so memorable. The adjoining window 
contains 

The Annunciation. — The Virgin is kneeling before her angelic visitor, who de- 
livers his supernal message. The interior of the home in Nazareth was copied 
from the Holy House of Loretto. The next window depicts 

The Battle of St. Henry, Emperor of Germany, against the Slavonians in de- 
fence of the Church, where he sees the spirits of St. Lawrence, St. Adrian and St. 
George fighting by his side. The last of the windows is that of the 

Immaculate Conception. — The scene is the memorable one in Rome, in 1854, 
when Pius IX. proclaimed to the world the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. 
The pontiff is standing on his throne after having proclaimed the dogma, in the 
act of giving the apostolic benediction. Cardinals, patriarchs, prelates, religious 



SUNDAY AND RELIGIOUS IVORIC IN NEW YORK. 241 

men of several orders, and officers of the Papal Household troops stand about. 
Above the head of the Pope is a figure of the Immaculate Conception. The stat- 
ues of Sts. Peter and Paul, on either side, will be recognized by all who have seen 
the originals at the entrance to St. Peter's, Rome. 

The paintings in the north and south transepts, representing " The Baptism of 
Our Lord," " The Marriage Feast of Cana," "The Return of the Prodigal Son," 
" St. Patrick preaching at Tara," " The Sistine Madonna," and " The Transfigura- 
tion of Our Lord," were presented by the late Hon. John Kelly. The picture 
hanging over St.. Joseph's Altar on the wall of the sacristy is a copy of the cele- 
brated " Madonna del Sacco," painted by Andrea Del Sarto in the Church of the 
Servi, Florence. 

Religious Missions and Aid Societies. 

A great number of missionary and religious societies, both unsectarian and de- 
nominational, have their headquarters in this city. Some ' of these are national 
in character ; others purely local. The great center of Protestant evangelical 
labor and influence of this kind is 

Bible House, an immense brick edifice, seven stories high and occupying a 
whole block, bounded by Fourth av., 8th st., Third av. and 9th st. This building 
was erected in 1852 by the American Bible Society, an organization which began to 
print and diffuse the Scriptures in 1816, and has since distributed nearly 50,000,000 
copies of the Bible, or important sections of it, in almost every recognized tongue. 
Here are the headquarters of the society, and a printing office, bindery, etc., em- 
ploying 500 persons, where the Scriptures are printed in many languages. The 
fire-proof library-room contains about 4,000 books of great rarity and value, includ- 
ing rare specimens of early typography, Bible translations, commentaries, etc., in 
various languages, and a few manuscripts. Among the valuable works, of 
modern date, on the Sacred Text, may be found Hansell's " Novum Testamentum 
Graece " ; " Novum Testamentum Vaticanum " ; Tischendorf's four-volume edition 
of the famous Codex Sinaiticus. In addition to supplying the poor, the freedmen, 
the immigrants, the humane and criminal institutions, hotels, steamers, and rail- 
roads, a great work is done by the society for the welfare of foreign lands. Its 
work in the city is conducted through an auxiliary organization called the N. Y. 
Bible Society, which employs agents who supply Bibles to vessels about to sail, to 
the emigrants going West from Castle Garden, and to families. One feature 
of this society is, that no member over 45 years of age can take part in its manage- 
ment. A second auxiliary, the Bible and Fruit Mission. 416 E. 26th St., distributes 
Bibles and fruit on Blackwell's Island and in the hospitals. 

The Am. Board of Foreign Missions (N. Y. office) ; the N. Y. City Mission and 
Tract Society (which employs 30 missionaries, sustains chapels, etc., among the 



242 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

poor, at a cost of over $50,000 annually) ; the Atn. Church Missionary Society, the 
Am. Home Missionary Society, the Board of Missions of the P. E. Church, and 
the Women^s Union Missionary Society, the Atn. Baptist Home Mission Society, the 
Coftgregational Union, the Atn. Sutiday School Union, and \.\\e Evangelical Alliance 
are some of the other religious organizations having offices there ; while the ground 
floor is almost entirely occupied by dealers in Bibles and books of devotion. 

Societies and publication agencies connected with the Protestant Episcopal 
Church are scattered, their Diocesan House being at 19 Lafayette Place, their 
Tract Society at 12 Astor Place, their Sunday School Union at 713 Broadway, and 
so on. The headquarters of similar work in the Presbyterian denomination is at 
53 Fifth av., as heietofore mentioned; the N. Y. Presbytery, however, sits at 153 
E. 7Sth St. ; the Dutch Ref. Church centers at 26 Reade st. ; and the Methodists 
at Fifth av. and 20th st. The Baptist Social Union is at 200 W. 52d st., the 
Lutherans have mission offices at 26 State St., and the Swedenborgians in the 
Cooper Union. The Am. and Foreign Bible Society at 116 Nassau st. and the Am. 
Tract Society 2X 150 Nassau st. are well-known institutions near the City Hall, 
and many similar but more obscure or local religious societies may be found 
elsewhere by consulting Trow's City Directory. 

K. M. C. A. and K. W. C. A. 

The Young Men's Christian Association in New York is in a flourishing con- 
dition, and owns a large and handsome building, which cost $500,000, and stands 
at Fourth av. and 23d st. The interior is divided into a reception-room, reading- 
room, parlors, lecture and concert hall (with a seating capacity of 1,400), lecture- 
room, class-rooms, library, gymnasium, bowling-alley, and baths. On the top floor 
artists' studios are rented. The building is open to visitors all day, the library 
may be used by strangers, and religious gathering's for both sexes are held daily. 
The association sustains several branches in the Bowery and other parts of the 
city, of which the most notable is the Railroad branch, which occupies a hand- 
some building near the Grand Central Depot given by Cornelius Vanderbilt. The 
Young Men's Institute, occupying a fine new building at 222-4 Bowery, is an impor- 
tant branch of the organization, concerned with work down-town. 

The Young Women's Christian Association occupies a beautiful home at 
No. 7 E. 15th St., and devotes itself to helping in every way the young working 
women of the city. It has a library and many other features which will make it 
an interesting object to ladies visiting the city, who are welcome at the rooms. 




XIII. 
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 



Public Schools. 

HE public school system of the city consists of graded 
ytYxfiMI/- schools, evening schools, corporate schools (industrial 
~ iilTil^^ schools, reformatories, orphan asylums, etc.), the nautical 
school on the St. Mary, and the Normal College and the 
College of the City of New York. The total now ex- 
ceeds 300 schools, and it is constantly being amplified, yet 
loud complaints are heard of the inadequacy of the accommo- 
dations. The whole system is under control of the Board of 
Education, 21 in number, the terms of one-third of which expire each year, afford- 
ing an opportunity for the Mayor to change, annually, if he desires, one-third of 
the board, a part of whose members are women. In each ward five trustees 
and three inspectors are appointed by the Commissioners. The Board has an 
office building at 146 Grand st. 

" The free school system," quoting Appleton's Dictionary, " offers to the child- 
ren of parents in all grades of society the opportunity to acquire not only a good 
but a finished education, second to none in general excellence, if the pupil desire it, 
which can be obtained elsewhere in this country. Beginning with the primary 
schools, where the children are taught their A 1^ C's, the pupils are advanced on 
passing rigid examinations through the primary and grammar schools, and thence, 
if they so elect, the girls into the Normal College, and the boys into the College 
of the City of New York. The usual studies in English are sujiplemented in the 
grammar schools by the teaching of vocal music and the study of Erench and Ger- 
man. These languages are taken by permission, and are confined to pupils of the 
three higher grades in the grammar school. All other studies are obligatory. 
Within the past few years instruction in drawing has been made obligatory, and 
added to the subjects for examination for admission to both the colleges. No 
separate schools now exist for colored children. The evening schools give instruc- 
tion to over 20,000 young persons who are obliged to work during the day. The 
attendance of pupils is necessarily irregular, but as a rule they appreciate keenly 
their privilege and opportunities. The discipline in the schools is excellent and 



244 GUIDE TO NEW VORK CITY. 

severe, and the examinations are rigid to a degree tliat insures the proficiency of 
the pupil before his advancement." 

The whole number of children taught is now about 320,000, under the care of 
about 4,150 instructors, at an annual cost exceeding \\ million dollars. "The at- 
tendance at school of children, between the ages of 8 and 14 years, is compulsory 
in the city by statute, and for the enforcement of this law, 12 Agents of Truancy 
are employed constantly in looking after delinquent children. These officers in- 
vestigate about 20,000 cases annually, and as a rule enforce the provisions of the 
law with little difficulty in these cases. In cases of extreme viciousness on the 
part of the truants, however, they are removed from their homes, and committed 
to one of the reformatory institutions." The school-buildings are distributed all 
over town, and many of them, packed into a group of tenements in some dark and 
dirty street, or wedged between tall business blocks, will seem very dreary abodes 
to visiting teachers accustomed to the light, air, and pleasant play-grounds sur- 
rounding rural schoolhouses; but the situation is a necessity of city-crowding, 
and strenuous efforts are made to gain as good ventilation and as much exercise 
between lessons as possible. Educators desirous of visiting the common schools 
will have no difficulty in satisfying their curiosity. 

The College of The City of New York is the city's " high-school," and is 
the successor of the "Free Academy" founded half a century ago. It is open 
free to all young men residing in this city, and prepared at the city schools, and it 
offers both a literary-classical and a scientific course, each four years in length; 
but during the first two years the studies are the same. There is also a mechani- 
cal course of instruction, and a post-graduate course in engineering. The total 
number of students approaches 900^ only one third of whom are engaged in classi- 
cal studies. This College occupies the large, turreted brick building on the south- 
eastern corner of 23d st. and Lexington av., which contains a cabinet of natural 
history, a library of 25,000 volumes and much laboratory apparatus. 

The Normal College, for young women, is a free institution sustained by the 
city, corresponding with the last mentioned, and intended especially for training 
girls to serve as teachers. It has an immense monastic-looking building in 69th 
St. between Fourth and Lexington avs., which cost $500,000. Most of its graduates 
enter the service of the city as teachers. The curriculum includes Latin, physics 
and chemistry, German, natural science, French, drawing, and music. The disci- 
pline is strict, and the control over the hundreds of young women daily assem- 
bled in the building is perfect. A model or training school is erected in the rear, 
in which pupil-teachers have an opportunity to supplement their theoretic studies 
with the practical. The morning exercises in the chapel at 9 o'clock are open to 
the public. Take Fifth av. stages or Fourth or Lexington av. horsecars to 69th 
St., or the Third Av. El. Ry. to 70th st. 



EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 



245 



All of the above mentioned schools and institutions are free, and are under con- 
trol of the Board of Education. 

Columbia College. 

Columbia College — now a university — is the foremost institution of higher 
learnmg in New York, and one of the foremost in the United States. It began 
in 1754, as King's College, under a charter from the English crown and by aid 
of money raised mainly in England. The Trinity Church Corporation took an 
interest in it from the start, and presently made it a grant of land between what 
is now College Place and North River, from the sale or rental of which a large 
part of the University's income has since been derived. During the Revolution 
its sessions were interrupted and its buildings appropriated to the use of the 
troops. After that war the Legislature of the State made a grant of land, and 
reincorporated it as Columbia College — a name urged by Alexander Hamilton 
and John Jay — under a board of regents (afterward changed to 24 self-perpetuat- 
ing trustees, who had to begin again almost de iwto. The institution erected 
buildings on College Place and occupied them until 1857, when the site was sold 
and at once covered by business blocks and the College was moved to its present 
situation between 49th and 50th sts., between Madison av. and the Hudson River 
R. R. tunnel. (Fourth av. horsecars, or Sixth Av. El. Ry. to 50th st.) During 
the past five years several large and handsome buildings have replaced, or been 
added to the earlier halls, and the facilities for both general and special work 
greatly enlarged. No dormitories are attached, the students finding boarding 
places in the neighborhood, and studying at home or in the commodious Library. 
The President is Seth Low, installed in February, 1890 : and the faculty, which 
includes many names of world-wide reputation, numbers some 60 persons. 

The five " colleges " or departments of the University now established are: 
I. Arts. 2. Mines. 3. Law. 4. Political Science. 5. Medicine. 

The College of Arts, is the oldest and central department, and embraces the 
classical and literary curriculum usual in a collegiate course of four years. 

The School of Mines, which was founded by the late President Barnard, 
who regarded it with peculiar interest, now has the largest quarters upon the 
college block, and long ago become in fact a school of applied science, covering a 
wide range. Its latest addition is a course in electrical engineering. It has very 
complete laboratories and apparatus for the study and experimental illustration of 
all the manifold branches of natural science lectured upon ; and on the attic 
floor of the building visitors will find a geological museum, arranged by Prof. 
John S. Newberry, which is unsurpassed in the Union as a clear and comprehen- 
sive picture of the record of the rocks from primeval to modern times. Other 
objects of interest are there also. The course at the School of Mines lasts four 



246 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

years, and the degrees conferred are those of Mining Engineer, Civil Engineer, 
Metallurgical Engineer, and Bachelor of Philosophy. P'or the degree of Doctor of 
Philosophy there is a post-graduate course of two years. The Law School has a 
new building on the campus, and a large attendance ; its course is two years. 
The School of Political Science is only lo years old, and offers a three- 
years course in the broadest scope of political economy, conferring the degree 
Doctor of Philosophy. The School of Medicine is better known as "The 
College of Piiysicians and Surgeons." It was formerly domiciled at the northeast 
corner of Fourth av. and 23d st. but now has a building on 60th st. between Ninth 
and Tenth avs. close to Roosevelt Hospital, in which (and in other hosj^itals; 
much of the instruction is given. 

The ground upon which this building stands was given, and the building partly 
erected, by the late Wm. H. Vanderbilt, at a cost of $500,000. In 1886 the Sloane 
Maternity Hospital, controlled by the College, was built and equipped by Mr. and 
Mrs. Wm. D. Sloane (the latter a daughter of Mr. Wm. H. Vanderbilt) at a cost 
of $250,000; and still more recently the four sons of Mr. Vanderbilt together gave 
the sum of $250,000 to establish a free clinic and dispensary, to be carried on in 
connection with the two other gifts', and known as the Vanderbilt Clinic. These 
royal gifts, amounting to a million dollars, place the College in the front rank for 
facilities, as it has long been for instruction. Students who have attended two 
full courses of lectures (the second here) and one course in comparative anatomy, 
are entitled to the degree M. D., after passing a satisfactory e.xamination. 

The Library will be, no doubt, the object of greatest interest to the general 
visitor at Columbia, since the buildings so crowd the campus as to preclude any- 
thing like the architectural display or space around Yale, Princeton and other 
institutions in small towns. The entrance is at the left, and close by the main 
gate on 49th St., whence a winding staircase of stone leads to the Library floor. 
The room is a large and lofty one, adorned by many portraits and completely 
surrounded by cases crowded with books, and made accessible high up by a light 
gallery. Any one may go to the shelves and take down the book he wants without 
any form of enquiry or permission; and there are a great number of small reading 
tables, a portion of which are reserved for regular students, whose names they 
bear, whenever they please to occupy them. Elaborate catalogues, in both book 
and card form, are available ; and altogether this is the most convenient and time- 
saving reference library in New York. 

The Barnard Annex is the name of a course of study for women, parallel with 
that of undergraduates in the School of Arts, of which some young ladies now 
avail themselves. 

The University now has 1800 students all told, the large part of whom come 
from the city and its neighborhood. It is prominent in intercollegiate contests, 
both intellectual and physical, and is especially strong in rowing, its boat clubs 
practicing on the Harlem. A new athletic field is about to be laid out on the 



EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 247 

bank of the Hudson, at Washington Heights, and great things are promised in 
regard to it. 

University of the City of New Yorli. 

This institution is a stronger one than its comparatively narrow reputation 
would lead an outsider to suppose. Its main building is the castellated structure 
at the northeastern corner- of Washington Sq. which has given a name to Univer- 
sity Place, which runs before its door, in continuation of Wooster st. This build- 
ing was erected at 60 years ago, and contains lecture and recitation rooms, 
museum, society rooms, the library — very strong m legal works — and some bache- 
lor apartments. It is said to have been in a room in this building that Prof. S. F. 
B. Morse wrought out his invention of the electric recording telegraph; and in 
another room the first photographs of the human countenance ever made were 
taken by Prof. John W. Draper. 

The Department of Arts now has about 125 undergraduate students, besides 
several specialists in higher courses. The Law Department has about 100 
students, and many names of prominence upon its list of professors. The most 
important of the departments, however, is the 

Faculty of Medicine, which occupies spacious buildings at the foot of E. 26th 
St. and contiguous to Bellevue Hospital (which see). These buildings (whose two 
amphitheatres, together, will seat 1000 pupils) are modern and admirably adapted 
to their pur])oses. Attached is the Loomis Laboratory, the cost of which ($100,- 
000) was defrayed by an unknown friend on condition that his name be kept secret, 
and the laboratory be directed and named after Dr. Alfred Loomis. Much of the 
instruction is given in the wards and lecture rooms of Bellevue, and it is conse- 
quently of a very practical character. Drs. Valentine Mott, John W. Draper, 
Alfred Loomis, W. H. Thompson, Lewis A. Stimson and many other noted 
surgeons and physicians have been, or are, instructors there. 

Miscellaneous Institutions 

The Cooper Union, or Institute, is an enormous building at the head of the 
Bowery, where Fourth av. branches off to the left and Third av. to the right. It 
was erected by the late Peter Cooper in 1857 at a cost of ;j^630,ooo, and endowed 
with $300,000 for the support of the free reading-room and library. The purpose 
is philanthropic, and embraces day and evening schools of various kinds. 
Besides those which have a regular academic course, there are art schools for men 
and women, free school, of telegraphy and of type-writing for women, and other 
special departments. As the thousands of pupils who attend these classes are 
drawn almost entirely from the people who must work for a living, all of the 



248 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 




THE COOPER UNION. 



instruction tends strongly to 
the practical ; and in the art 
schools, especially, pupils are 
able to earn something while 
under instruction. The ac- 
commodations have proved 
inadequate to the demand*, 
and additions have been made 
upon the roof which have 
destroyed what little archi- 
tectural pretension the Union 
ever made. For an account 
of the great Reading-Room, 
see the next chapter ; and for 
the Hall, consult the chapter 
Amusements. The Fourth 
av.. Third av., and 8th st 
horse-cars pass the Cooper 
Union ; and the 9th st. station of the Third Av. EI. Ry. is one block distant. 

Theological Seminaries. — The most widely known of these is probably Union 
Seminary, filling the block on Fourth av. between 69th and 70th sts. with four 
handsome buildings. It is the principal school for ministers of the Presbyterian, 
church, and was founded in 1836; but its students may come from any evangelical 
denomination, so long as they can show a certificate of good church standing. 
The library is founded upon a gift of 13,000 volumes by L. Van Ess, and now con- 
tains about 60,000 books and nearly 50,000 pamphlets and manuscripts. As would 
be expected it is very rich in rare and ancient theological books and Mss., speci- 
mens of early Bibles, first printings and rare tracts. The catalogue contains 
nearly 1300 titles in the literature of the Reformation and over 4,200 in Church 
history and polity. Elocution and Sacred Music form parts of the three-years 
course, to the completion of which every student is pledged. 

The Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary, beautifully situated on Chelsea 
Sq., between 20th and 21st sts., west of Ninth av., was founded in 1817, and is open 
to any student, generally qualified, who professes "attachment to the P. E. 
Church." The course lasts three years and no charge is made for tuition to those 
who take rooms and board in the buildings, some of which are new and enlarged. 
The library contains about 20,000 volumes. 

Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, etc. — The medical schools attached to 
Columbia and other universities, and to Bellevue and other hospitals, have been 
mentioned under those titles. Three others, whose terms, etc., can be had upon 



EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 249 

application, are : The Homeopathic Medical College, at Third av. and 23d st. •, 
the New York Post-Graduate Medical School, 226 E. 20th st., and the New York 
Polyclinic, 214 and 216 E. 34th st. The College of Pharmacy, at 209 E. 23d St., is 
an important school for those intendi'ng to be druggists, and one largely attended. 
Practical laboratory work in analytical chemistry and in botany are parts of the 
instruction, which is only open to those who have had at least four years' experi- 
ence in compounding prescriptions. Near by, at the corner of 23d st. and Second 
av., is the College of Dentistry which educates men for that specialty. The Veteri- 
nary College of the N. Y. State University is located in this city, and full courses 
of lectures and hospital clinics are given by it, at 141 W. 54th st. The N. Y. Col- 
lege of Veterinary Surgeons is another institution with the same object, located 
at 332 E. 27th St. It grants degrees, and enjoys the special patronage of the War 
Department. 

Roman Catholic Institutions. — Of these the leading college is St. Francis 
Xavier's, whose beautiful new building next to St. F. Xavier's Church, in West 
i6th St. near Sixth av., is one of the architectural ornaments of the city. This is a 
day college, in charge of the Jesuit Fathers, and numbers about 450 students, who 
come daily from their homes to the class-rooms. It has a reference library of 
20,000 volumes and a small circulating library. Another able institution under 
charge of the same pedagogical order is St. John's College, at Fordham, a station 
on the Harlem R. R., at the extreme north-eastern edge of the city, where the 
spacious and beautiful grounds of Rose Hill surround the school. The late 
Cardinal McCloskey was its first president. Manhattan College is a third strong 
R. C. school, situated in Manhattanville, and reached by the cable cars. The 
great Academy of the Sacred Heart, one of the oldest and best known Catholic 
Schools for girls, is also in Manhattanville, in the domain of the Convent of the 
same name ; and another noted convent school is that of Mt. St. Vincent, on the 
Hudson River, above Riverdale, a branch of which is maintained by the Sisters of 
Charity in 17th st. between Fifth and Sixth avs. 

A long additional list of industrial, parochial. Collegiate-preparatory, national 
(as French, Italian, etc.) and commercial schools, young ladies' seminaries, riding 
academies, etc., etc., might be made, did the purposes of this book justify the par- 
ticulars. 

Libraries and Reading-Rooms. 

New York has no great Public Library like that of Boston or Cincinnati, though 
Brooklyn possesses an institution of this kind of which it has good reason to be 
proud. There are, nevertheless, several circulating libraries, one of immense ex- 
tent, which are practically free ; a number of subscription libraries, and several of 
the most valuable reference libraries in the Union. A stranger who desires to 



250 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

consult a particular book is made welcome at most, or all, libraries, but should be 
careful not to abuse the privileges granted ; he is advised, moreover, to try the 
Astor or some other of the more public collections, before applying to semi-pri- 
vate subscription libraries, like the Mercantile. Those in which a sight-seer will 
find most interest are the Lenox, the Alitor, Columbia, and the great reading-room 
of the Cooper Union. 

The Lenox (Fifth av. and 70th st.) is a treasure-house of sculptures, paintings, 
ceramic and other kinds of artistic production (see Art); and of manuscripts, 
rare and curious specimens of early printing and binding, and costly and unusual 
editions, rather than a library in the ordinary sense. It is the gift to the city of 
the late James Lenox, a citizen of wealth and scholarly tastes, to whom New York 
is indebted in many other ways; and occupies a massive, temple-like building of 
white limestone, facing Central Park. The whole cost of ground, construction 
(over $1,000,000) and furnishing, was defrayed by him, and he also established an 
endowment for its perpetual maintenance. 

The building was begun in 1S70, but was not opened to the public until 1S77, 
and then admittance, even to scholars of distinction, was hedged about with so 
many difficulties that few students would take the trouble to force their way m 
The discontent with this exclusive management of a public benefaction was loudly 
expressed, and of late the doors have been open to free admission from n a. m. to 
4 p. m., except on .Sunday and Monday. The effect of the former policy and the 
fact that no provision is made for readers, leaves the books (some 30,000 in num- 
ber) undisturbed on their shelves except by a few advanced scholars who are 
delving deeper than ordinary into their objects of inquiry. The Lenox is therefore 
regarded in New York as a museum, rather than a library; but as such every stu- 
dent of literature, art or history, should see it. Of the most precious books, a 
very large number are specimens of the first products of the typographic art, first 
editions. Bibles, Shakespeariana, and Americana. There are also copies of every 
known edition of Walton's " Angler," of Bunyan's " Pilgrim's Progress," and of 
nearly every known edition of Milton. A great number of exceedingly valuable 
Mss. and illuminated books on vellum are present. The collection of Bibles 
includes a perfect copy of the so-called "' Mazarin " Bible, the product of Guten- 
berg and Faust at Mainz, about 1445, the first printed book from movable types ; 
Fiist and Schoffer's Latin Bible, dated Mayence, 1462, the sixth book bearing 
a date and the first edition of the Bible having the name of the prmter and 
the place and date; a large folio Latin Bible printed by Koberger, Nuremberg, 
1477, densely interlined with emendations, connnents, etc., in the handwritmg of 
Philip Melancthon ; and five copies of Eliot's Indian Bible, embracing every varia- 
tion of both editions, as well as two copies of his New Testament of 1661. 

Examples of these Bibles, and many of the curiosities further mentioned, are 
displayed in glass table-cases where they can be examined almost as well as if held 
in the hand. These cases contain specimens of the very first imprints in both 
Europe and America. There are many " block books," for example, representing 
the stage of printing before the invention of movable types, when, after the fashion 
of theChinese, a page was cut on a wooden block, among them two copies of 
the " I'.iblia Pauperum," a small folio of 40 leaves, the most celebrated of this class 



EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 251 

of books, and supposed to have been executed about 1430. Caxton's press is rep- 
resented by no less than seven specimens, one of which is a fragment of Fevre's 
" Recuyell of the Histories of Troye," issued at Bruges about 1474, being the first 
booli printed in the English language. A copy of this has been sold for over 
$5,000. There are also copies of the " Doctrina Cristiana," one of the earliest 
products of the Roman Catholic press in Mexico — the first press on the American 
continent — and of the " Bay Psalm Book," the first book printed within the terri- 
tory of the United States, dated Cambridge, 1640. As to modern books the library 
is especially rich in bibliophilistic gems, fine bindings, and books of illustrations 
and the illustrative arts. 

Art galleries occupy the second and third floors, and contain about 150 pictures, 
including many of great note. Among these are a portrait, considered an original, 
of John Bunyan, one portrait of Washington by James Peale, three by Rembrandt 
Peale, and one (full length) by Gilbert Stuart. Here is Munkacsy's great picture 
" Blind Milton Dictating ' Paradise Lost,' " which was the masterpiece of the Paris 
Exposition of 1878, and has been so often engraved. There is one Andrea del 
Sarto, " Tobit and the Angel ; " one Delaroche, " The Field of Battle ; " one 
Gainsborough, called " A Romantic Woody Landscape ; " one Horace Vernet, 
" The Siege of Saragossa ; " several Wilkies, Verboeckhovens, Gilbert Stuarts, 
Reynoldses, and Leslies ; two Copleys, and a like number of Turners. The Tur- 
ners are "A Scene on the French Coast, with an English Ship of War stranded," 
painted in 1831, and " Staffa, Fingal's Cave," first exhibited in 1832, and bought 
from the artist for Mr. Lenox by Leslie in 1845. 

The Astor Library, like the Lenox, is the gift of a New York family of 
wealth — the first one, perhaps, that attained to that distinction ; but its character 
and management have always been entirely different, and it is the most popular 
consulting library in the city. It occupies a substantial building of brown-stone 
and brick in the Romanesque style, about 200 ft. front by 100 deep. It was 
founded by the will of John Jacob Astor, who died in 1848, leaving $400,000 for 
that purpose. His son, William B. Astor, added upward of $550,000 to this 
endowment ; and his grandson, the late John Jacob Astor, gave about $700,000 
more. 

This library is open froln 9 a. m. until dark, but never in the evening ; and it is 
used by some 62,000 readers of all types annually, from the most casual idler in 
literature to the most learned and indefatigable investigators. Students in the 
higher schools and institutions of learning, and active journalists form a large class 
of its patrons. Within the entrance, on the ground floor, is a large hall, adorned 
by marble busts of Roman heroes copied from the antique. Here a warden 
requires you to leave in his care any books or packages you may be carrying, and 
also your cane or umbrella, and he gives you a check for them. Ascending the 
marble staircase to the second floor, you arrive in the lofty central hall, and find 
yourself surrounded by alcoves of books supported upon galleries, and rising to a 
great height on every side. Right and left arches open into spacious wings of 
similar structure, where long tables and scores of arm-chairs are set for readers. 



252 GUIDE- TO NEW YORK CITY. 

In the main hall some tables are especially reserved for ladies, but there is no 
impropriety in their going into the other rooms if they please. No one is allowed 
to enter the alcoves without permission from the Librarian, who grants it only to 
special students. Any person, however, by writing upon the small blank furnished 
him the titles and shelf-numbers of the books he wants, and his name and 
address, can have the use during the day of as many books as he needs. No books 
are ever lent out of the building. Volumes of printed catalogues lie near the 
office desks, and also an admirable card catalogue ; and you should look up in one 
or the other of these the name of each book asked for, in order to put upon your 
card the Library's " shelf-number," which will be found written on the catalogue 
margin, opposite each title. Having handed in your slip, you wait until the book 
is delivered to you. The Astor Library is well lighted through the roof, is well- 
warmed and ventilated, toilet-rooms are attached, and altogether is one of the 
pleasantest places for study in the country. The librarian and his assistants are 
not only learned but full of kindness in assisting readers ; and they give out about 
180,000 volumes each year, — three fourths of the total number of books now pos- 
sessed by the Astor. The total capacity of the upper halls is about 300,000, but 
there is storage for 200,000 more on the ground door. Among the treasures are 
rare Mss. in Greek and Latin, given by Mr. Astor, and the elephantine volume, of 
chants used at the coronation of the French kings for many years, superbly illu- 
minated with vignettes by well-known early French artists. These books will be 
shown by the librarian on application, together with many other literary antiqui- 
ties. 

The Cooper Union Library and Reading Room, (three minutes walk from 
the Astor Library) forms one of the strongest features of that great institution 
{q. v.), and one which Mr. Cooper felt to be so important that he endowed it with 
a fund of $300,000. It occupies an immense room on the third floor, the walls of 
which are lined with shelves of books, each in a jacket of strong paper. Long 
tables are supplied for readers of books and magazines, which are given out from 
a desk, on deposit of the metal check which everyone who enters must accept 
and must return when he leaves the room. The library contains about 20,000 vol- 
umes, principally practical and instructive ; and is noted as the possessor of a 
complete set of both the old and new series of Patent Office reports, which are 
consulted yearly by almost 2,000 persons. Each volume has been carefully 
indexed, making them invaluable for reference. The library is open in the even- 
ing and then is crowded by a class of readers who have no time during the day to 
spend in gathering information or in taking intellectual amusement. More 
interesting to the stranger, however, will be the sight of the long tables and 
racks filled with newspapers and periodicals and pored over by crowds of 
men and boys, generally poorly dressed, often dirty, but all orderly, quiet, and 
eager to read. This is one of the sights of the citv. and the visitor will easily 
accept the statement that between 450 and 460 newspapers and periodicals 
are taken in here. The only other really large public reading-room in the city is 
that at the Y. M. C. A. building. 



EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 253 

Few of the other libraries in the city will repay a visit by the casual observer. 
The most important lending libraries are the Apprentices', the Mercantile and the 
Free Circulating. The Apprentices', 18 W. i6th st., takes its name from its orig- 
inal purpose, which was to furnish instructive reading for mechanics' apprentices. 
It was founded in 1820, but not until 1862 were its privileges extended to girls 
employed in mechanical services. Latterly its doors have been widened, until now 
any person who can furnish a recommendation signed by a citizen of stability 
may draw books freely, renewing his application from year to year, without charge. 
Tliere are now.over 80,000 volumes, which circulate rapidly and'widely. The Free 
Circulating Library is less than ten years old, but circulates about 420,000 
volumes annually. Its head-ofifice is in a building at 49 Bond St., erected for it by 
subscription and costing $35,000. In 1884 a branch, intended for German readers 
mainly, was built by the late Oswald Ottendorfer, editor of the Staats-Zeitmig, at 
135 Second av. Another branch in 42d St., near Broadway, is due to the liberality 
of Miss Catharine Wolfe Bruce ; and a third, opened in 1888 in Jackson Square 
(the Scotch quarter of the city), was built by George W. Vanderbilt. These build- 
ings are each admirable examples of library architecture, and the system promises 
to grow into an affair of great importance. 

The Mercantile Library occupies rooms in its new building at Lafayette Place 
and 8th st., and owns over 200,000 volumes of general interest, new books being 
added as fast as issued. The ordinary fee is $5 annually, or $3 for six months. 
The public are admitted only to the outer office, which contains nothing to inter- 
est the sightseer. The upper part of the city profits by the old Harlem Library, 
founded in 1825 and connected with much interesting local history; it is at 2238 
Third av. between 121st and I22d sts. Other libraries which might be added to 
this list would interest specialists only and need not be expatiated upon this book, 
except to say that a /rtze/ library I'S, open to public inspection in Rooms 1 16-122, 
Post Office Building. Besides more than 30,000 legal works, this library contains 
portraits of Thomas Addis Emmet, Chancellor Kent, and Judge Greene C. Bron- 
son ; and busts of James T. Brady and John Anthon. Among the books are many 
very scarce copies of law reports; a few books belonging to Alexander Hamilton, 
and containing numerous entries in his handwriting ; a note-book of Lord Hard- 
wicke ; and the cases and opinions of Charles O'Conor. 

Old or second-hand book shops abound in New York, though few are as inter- 
esting places as those of London, or even of Boston and Philadelphia. The 
largest is Leggatt's, in Chambers St., near Church. There are several along 
Nassau St., or just around the corner from that narrow and crowded thoroughfare, 
but the most picturesque one has disappeared. Clark's, 34 Park PI. (upstairs), is 
worth a visit by a searcher for old books and magazines. Fourth av., Aster 
Place, and Broadway between the Cooper Union and Union sq., has several 



254 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

antique book shops, the sign of which is the usual stall of very cheap specimens 
outside the door ; and the lower end of Sixth av. has two or three, while stores of 
a somewhat higher grade, mingling imported rarities and modern books of a 
quaint kind with the second-hand lot, abound in Astor Place, and in Broadway 
near there, where many well-known publishing firms reside. All importing book- 
sellers offer rare and expensive art prints and editions of foreign and early works 
at second hand ; but with some it is a specialty to do so, as is well known to 
collectors. 

At such stores the stranger may see books and prints of rare and beautiful 
workmanship; mediaeval rtianuscripts, illuminated in gold and colors before the 
■invention of printing ; historical bindings from the libraries of monarchs and 
celebrated personages of past ages ; blackletters and books printed in the first 
decades of typography ; Aldines and Elzevirs ; superb volumes of great rarity 
encased in bindings of Trautz-Bauzonnet, Chambolle-Duru, David, Lortic and 
other famous modern binders ; eighteenth century illustrated works emanating 
from the presses of Paris during the reigns of Louis XVth and XVIth, with 
limnings of the artists who designed for the Regent d'Orleans and the Farmers 
General. Miniatures and curios, mezzotints, line engravings and etchings in the 
rarest states, are also freely exhibited, and portraits of famous persons. 

It is a curious fact that American book collectors reject much that is acceptable 
to Europe. There was a time when it was 'believed in Euroj^e that anything could 
be sold to American collectors, but that time has passed forever. 

" The process of book collecting," to quote Mr. Charles Sotheran, who is an 
authority on all bibliographical matters, " is cumulative, and education advances 
with practice. Men's ideas expand as their knowledge amplifies itself, and he who 
begins a collection upon one basis of quality rarely terminates his labors until his 
entire library has been revised and his whole method of collection altered for the 
better. . . . The treasures demanded by the American bibliophile must be sought 
for at the greatest cost of time and trouble. They are found in the most unexpected 
places and in the oddest ways. Europe is the mine from which they must be 
exhumed for the American collector. In this country books are bought to be 
kept. In the older country those who have gathered them, by the accretions of 
generations, are commencing to part with them to satisfy the extravagances of the 
present. . . . And though America demands the very best that Europe can 
supply, competition is not mad enough to render the extravagant prices of Europe 
possible." 



XIV. 
ART AND ARCHITECTURE. 



Art Galleries. 



INE arts have made a very notable advance 
in New York during the last few years, in 
the direction of exhibition and general popu- 
larity, not only, but toward a higher standard 
of work and more thorough and localized 
methods of teaching. The one really great 
public gallery of the city is that of the 
' Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is described 

in the general account of that institution (pp. 120-142) 
The Lenox Library has a small gallery of fine pictures open 
daily; and the N. Y. Historical Society, Second av. and nth 
St., possesses many portraits, examples of the Dutch masters and 
pieces of statuary, to which visitors are admitted by card from 
a meniljer of the society. Portraits of departed statesmen adorn the walls of the 
Governor's Room in the City Hall ; and portraits of old merchants hang about 
the hall of the Chamber of Commerce. Many art societies, schools and clubs 
exist, several of which give exhibitions at stated Intervals. The oldest and fore- 
most of these institutions is the 

National Academy of Design. — Its handsome building at the corner of 
Fourth av. and 23d st. is sure to attract attention. It is built of gray and white 
marble and bluestone, mingled in a zigzag pattern, copied, as is the general form, 
from a Venetian palace. A double flight of steps leads to the main entrance, and 
with its carved balustrades and the drinking fountain beneath the balcony, forms 
a striking feature of the general effect, The lower floors are devoted to offices, 




^56 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 



lecture-rooms, etc., but the third story, lighted through a glazed roof, consists of a 
series of galleries. These are approached from the entrance by a broad staircase, 
which," on the occasion of an exhibition or reception, is always made beautiful by 
growing plants and artistic decorations. 

The corporation consists of the "National Academicians" (N. A.), who fill 
vacancies in their ranks by election from a subordinate body of chosen artists 
called " Associates of the National Academy " (A. N. A.). To become a member 
of either of these bodies is regarded among artists as a high recognition of profes- 
sional merit. The Academy supports free schools in drawing and painting, open 
to all applicants of either sex who can and will conform to the simple requirements 
for admission. These schools are in session from October until May, and medals 
are given for proficiency. 




THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN. 

The Academy holds an exhibition of new paintings in the early spring of each 
year, and several prizes, ranging from $ioo to $300 are distributed. During the 
first two days of the exhibitions, which are known as " varnishing day " and " pri- 
vate view," or " buyers day," admission can only be obtained by a card of invita- 
tion from the secretary, and these are eagerly sought for. During the succeeding 
weeks the gallery is open to the public from 9 a. m. until 10 j). m. upon payment 
of an admission fee of 25 cts. There is also an exhibition in the fall, where work 
less ambitious, but often none the less interesting, is shown to the public. 

The Water Color Society is closely allied to the Academy of Design. It has 
no rooms, but the secretary is Mr. C. Harry Eaton, 52 E. 23d st. The object of 
this society is the advancement of painting in water-colors, and it holds an annu^] 



ART ANE ARCHITECTURE. 257 

exhibition in the Academy o£ Design of the work of its resident members, which 
occurs in late January or early February, and forms one of the most interesting 
and important art-events of the year. In connection with this exhibition there is 
often a display of the year's results by members of the Etching Club, whose mem- 
bers are largely men on the lists of the Academy and the Water Color Society. 

The Centennial Exhibition gave a great impetus to the fine arts in this country, 
which has been duly manifested in New York, where a new spirit has gradually 
obtained control It has completely revolutionized architecture and it has sent 
our younger painters and sculptors to study in the schools of Europe. Many 
have already come back, and others are returning now, or will soon do so, imbued 
with the tea-chings of the great masters. 

The result of all this has been the establishment in this city within the last fif- 
teen years of a number of promising art societies in addition to these just men- 
tioned, each devoted to its own branch of art work, but all actuated by this same 
modern .spirit. Five of these societies form a group, which have combined their 
forces into a " Fine Arts Society," intended to be a working institution, as distin-^ 
guished from a club of painters. It has begun to erect a handsome building on 
W. z-]\.\\ St., adapted to exhibitions, schools, and all other needs. It is said that 
this union will bring together 500 men and women, each in his or her own depart- 
ment of work and retaining allegiance to the society which he helped to build up. 
Not counting students, there are about 300 artists in active service in New York, 
most of whom have had the advantage of foreign study. Their average age is 
not far from thirtv-five. 

Of the five societies above alluded to the first place belongs to The Society of 
American Artists, founded in 1S77 by some of the younger men of that time who 
were not in accord with the policy of the National Academy and thought there 
was room for a second institution. It now has over 100 members. The secretary 
is Mr. Wm. A. Coffin, 138 W. 55th st. Its annual exhibition comes in May (at the 
Fifth Avenue Art Galleries, 366 Fifth av.,'near 35th st.) and both the public and 
the critics pay quite as much heed to it as to that of the old Academy. 

The Art Students' League dates from 1875, and is devoted to instruction in 
all branches of the graphic arts. Students are not entitled to membership in this 
institution until they have studied there for two years, and then presented works 
showing the requisite proficiency. Of such members there are now about 175. 
The professors of the Art Students' League are, without exception, members of 
the Society of American Artists ; and classes are held in the rooms at 143 E. 23d 
St. There is nothing at the school to attract the general visitor, but now and then 
receptions and exhibitions of work are given, which have an elegantly bohemian 
air very charming to those who enjoy the atmosphere of the studio. Almost next 
door to the League is the Art Guild, an organization of artists, mostly members 



258 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

of the societies already mentioned, banded for the purpose of properly conducting 
the sale and exhibition of their works throughout the country. 

Several Clubs of Artists are established, and should be mentioned, though ad- 
mission to their rooms is only by invitation. Such are the Salmagundi, which is the 
strongest of all, has rooms in 22d st. near Sixth av. and gives an annual exhibition 
of sketches of great interest ; the Pai)iters in Pastel, the Tile Club whose excursions 
have formed the basis for several illustrated magazine articles, and whose cozy 
rooms are at 58^ W. loth St., where (as with the others) gay little receptions are 
given ; the Kit-Kat Club, corner University PI. and nth st., which like the others 
combines social pleasure with hard work ; the revived Palette Club and the 
Architectural League, the latter devoted to architectural design, mural decoration, 
work in stained glass, etc. An illustrated article upon this League in The Cetittc}y 
tor March, 1883, may be referred to with profit. Other art-societies of less con 
sequence may be found. The Artist's Fund is a beneficent scheme for the relief 
of widows and orphans of dead artists, sustained by each member contributmg 
annually a painting worth at least $100 or its equivalent in money. 

Another phase is found in the Society of Decorative Art at 28 E. 21st st. whose 
object is to foster a knowledge of decorative art among women, and their fram- 
ing in artistic industries. 

It aims (i) To induce art workers to master thoroughly the details of one kind 
of decoration, that they may make for themselves a reputation of commercial 
value. (2) To assist those who have worked unsuccessfully in choosing some 
practical and popular direction for their lal^or. (3) To open classes in various 
kinds of decorative work. (4) To dispose, by orders in advance and by sale of 
decorative pottery, china, tiles, cabinet work, carvings, draperies, embroideries, 
and other articles of household art. (5) To develop the art of needlework and 
assist in adapting it to the requirements of housefurnishing and decoration. The 
society has 4,000 contributors, and sells articles accepted by its committee at a 
commission of ten per cent. It has been of great service to educated women who 
wish or need to turn their talents to pecuniary account and its salesroom at 28 J2. 
2ist St. is well worth examination by anyone in search of artistic novelties. 

The Associated Artists at 215 E. 23d st. belong in the same category. 

Art Schools in New York are sustained by the Metropolitan Museum, the 
Cooper Union (which see), the National Academy, the Art Students' League, the 
Sharp Art School (formerly Gotham Art Students), 744 Broadway, Stimpson's 
Institute for Artist-Artisans, 140 w. 23d St., the Harlem Art Association, 149 E. 
125th St. and other corporations. There are purely private teachers in abundance, 
including many well-known artists, who receive pupils at their studios. Drawing 
is now taught compulsorily in the public schools and in the Normal School with 
great success. In Brooklyn there are the Art Guild, the Adelphi Art Academy, 
and the Brooklyn Institute Art Schools. 

Studios are objects of great interest to visitors interested in art, and many de- 



ART AND ARCHITECTURE. 259 

lightful days may be spent by such persons in making the round of New York 
ateliers. Few artists will shut their doors against a courteous and appreciative 
visitor, even if he brings his own introduction, but they do not welcome mere 
curiosity-mongers, nor toplofty persons nor bores. Some artists have a special 
reception day, usually known to the janitor of the building. The studios are vv^el! 
scattered, but are most numerous in W. 14th st., E. 23d St., and near Washing- 
ton sq., especially in the picturesque old University building, whose attic rooms 
were made by throwing a floor across what was once the chapel, just under the 
groined roof. The dark old beams of the arches and the gothic windows made 
ideal workrooms for those who cared more for romantic furnishing than for good 
light in their studios. Latterly several buildings have been designed, especially 
for these exacting tenants, and are kept filled with them, many artists dwelling as 
well as working in their suite of rooms. Such buildings are "The Studio " at 51 
W. loth St., between Fifth and Sixth avs. the Y. M. C. A. (top floor). Fourth av. 
and 23d St.; the "Fourth Av. Studio Building," Fourth av. and 25th St.; the 
"Sherwood," Sixth av. and 57th st. ; the "Rembrandt," in W. 57th, near Seventh 
av. ; the " Holbein," in W. 55th St., near Sixth av.; and the upper floors of 788 
Broadway. Many of the New York studios are exquisitely decorated and fur- 
nished, as can be seen by referring to the pictures in an article upon them in The 
Cosmopolitan (magazine) for May, 1889. Other recent magazine articles, referring 
to this subject, are : "American Etchers in New York," and " Artists' Models in 
New York," both in The Century for February, 1883; "Recent Architecture in 
America," The Century, July and August, 1884, and February, 1886, all illustrated. 

The purely commercial side of art in New York has much to interest one. 
At the galleries of the American Art Association, 6 E. 23d st., two exhibitions 
and sales are held spring and autumn, and often at other times there are special 
exhibitions of extreme interest, as when Verestchagin showed his collection there 
in the spring of 1889. The principal art dealers have long been accustomed to 
add to the pleasures of the public by tht owing open their collections of modern 
paintings, chiefly foreign, which are well worth examination. Auctions of 
pictures are rarely worth attending, unless some well-known private collection is 
to be disposed of. 

The splendid private gallery of Mr. W. K. Vanderbilt, which is unexcelled in" 
this country, and by few private collections in Europe, has often been opened to 
strangers asking cards of admission. Other private galleries are those of Mr. 
Henry G. Marquand, Mr. August Belmont, Mr. G. I. Seney, Mr. Wm. Rockefeller, 
Mr. Wm. Schaus, Mr. Thos. B. Clarke, and Mr. Edward D. Adams. Many 
of the pictures once belonging to these and other citizens have been presented, or 
loaned, to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Loan and sale exhibitions occur 
at several prominent clubs annually, notably at the Union League and I,otos. 



XV. 
CLUBS AND SOCIETIES. 




Social Clubs. 



N a book of this character the subject of social clubs need not 
consume mucli space, since without an invitation from a 
member nothing more than the outside of the club-houses 
can be seen by a stranger. In many cases, indeed, there is 
little to reward curiosity inside : while some, like the Union 
League, and others of the older and more prominent class, 
have splendid rooms, filled with treasures of art as well as all 
the appliances of comfort and luxury which the modern 
upholsterer, decorator and cook are able to supply. Clubs 
have increased in numbers and expanded in membership and importance with the 
growth of the city, and will continue to do so. Several new and magnificent 
houses are about to be built in both New York and Brooklyn, and those down- 
town are moving to new quarters toward the Park. 

Of the social clubs the Union League is among the foremost, and its grand 
house, at the corner of Fifth av. and 39th St., is one of the ornaments of the city. 
This club grew out of an association of gentlemen of the Republican party, who in 
1863 banded together for the support of that party and the prosecution of the Civil 
War to a successful issue. Its political character has waned with advancing years 
and altered circumstances until it is now in the background. It has 1500 mem- 
bers, including the foremost men of this part of the country. The present struct- 
ure, which cost complete about $400,000, was designed especially for the varied 
uses of the club, and contains as an unusual feature a large art gallery (used also 
for the general meetings of the club), where extraordinary loan exhibitions are 
occasionally given, as well as receptions and entertainments of a grand character. 
The interior decorations of the house (by La Farge, Louis Tiffany and Franklin 
Smith) are the admiration of connoisseurs, — especially in the oak-paneled dining- 



CLUBS AND SOCIETIES. 



261 



room. This club gives monthly receptions, at which new American pictures and 
foreign pictures loaned by dealers and private collectors are exhibited. Admission 
to these receptions is by card obtainable from members, and for ladies between 
12 m. and 3 p. m. the day following the reception. A ladies' reception is given 
annually, and is one of the most brilliant social events of the season. Admission 
to the club after election, costs $300 and the annual dues are $75. An illustrated 
article in The Century for 
March, 1882, should be con- 
sulted. 

The Manhattan Club 
represents, in a general way, 
the other (Democratic) side 
of the political arena, and 
was founded in 1865. It 
long occupied an old man- 
sion on the southwest corner 
of Fifth av. and 15th st.', but 
has recently moved into a V&f'^^V- 

Tm 

Mrs. A. T. Stewart, at Fifth '" *" ""^ 
av. and 34th st., which has 
been remodeled into the 
largest, and perhaps the 
most elaborately adorned 
club-house in the world. 
The •cuisine of this club is 
celebrated among good-livers. 

The Union Club, at Fifth av. and 21st st (northwest corner), was the first one in 
the city (and, for that matter, in the country) which was formed upon English 
models and was a real club as the term is now understood. It was founded in 
1836, and had a succession of down-town resting places until 1855, when it moved 
into its present lu.Kurious house. This club has consisted from the very first of 
the " social magnates of New York : " the Astors, Edgars, Schuylers, Suydams, 
Lydigs, Le Roys and Griswolds were among its early supporters. The sons and 
grandsons of these men are still to be found on the rolls, but as each new element 
of commercial and social life was added to the growing city it was received by this 
gay and liberal organization, which has remained a true expression of the prosper- 
ous life of the metropolis, growing along the same lines as the city has changed 
and advanced. It is a strong, wealthy, spirited crowd of well-groomed, well-fed gen- 



marble house built and oc- 
cupied by the late Mr. and 







THE UNION LEAGUE CLUB. 




262 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

tlemen, who find the carpet on their library lasts much longer than that on their 
card-room, and take more pride in their cook than in their art-committee. 

Out of this sprang, some years ago, a club of the jetinesse doree familiarly known 
as the Union Junior, but whose proper name is the Calumet, which occupies 
a beautiful house on the northeast corner of Fifth av. and 29th st. 

The Century Club enjoys a well-established reputation for dignity and 
scholarly character, and its library consists mainly of works of art. Its old house 
is at 109 E. 15th, but a new building, with an imposing front, and to approach 
$200,000 in cost, is about to be erected at Fifth av. and 43d st. Monthly meetings 
of a literary sort, are held from September until June, to which strangers are 
admitted by a card from a member ; but the peculiar character of this remarkable 
club is steadily changing to a more generally social type. 

This is ascribable to several causes — to the death of most of the early Centu- 
rions ; to the establishment of similar associations, like the Tile, Etching, 
Authors' and Fellowcraft clubs, many of whose members belong to it; to the 
admission of stockbrokers and business men whose sympathy with art and litera- 
ture is more nominal than real. One thing, however, the Century will not be 
likely to show any weakness for, as so many clubs have done, and that is for men 
simply rich. A number of the Centurions are rich, necessarily, but they had 
something else than riches to commend them to this coterie, which may be said still 
to cherish an earnest and wholesome prejudice against all plutocrats. 

The opposite sentiment seems to rule in the Knickerbocker, which is composed 
mainly of rich men who love and practice such sports as coaching, polo, fox- 
hunting and the like. Its club-house is a costly structure at Fifth av. and 32d st. 

In the St. Nicholas Club, 386 Fifth av., corner 37th St., is found an ultra-aristo- 
cratic organization, to which only the " Knickerbockers " are eligible,— defined in 
this case to be descendants of persons resident in New York prior to 1785. Their 
club-house was once the home of Gov. E. D. Morgan. The St. Nicholas Society, 
which is partly benevolent and partly historical in its object, and which gives a 
banquet once a year where great orators are always heard, is wholly separate. 

The New York Club, at Fifth av. and 35th st. (southwest corner), has re- 
modeled into an elegant modern home the old mansion of the Astorfamily, andisa 
long-established and fashionable organization. 

The Lotos Club possesses an unostentatious mansion opposite the Union 
Club, on the northeast corner of Fifth av. and 21st st. Its membership is mainly 
composed of literary men, actors, artists, and professional men. Monthly art re- 
ceptions are held during the winter, when some good pictures by American artists 
are usually shown ; and a " ladies' day " each month, when music and recitations 
are added. If you are offered a card to one of the "Saturday Nights," take it and go. 

Somewhat similar to this is the University Club, open only to those who have 
taken a collegiate course, which occupies the old home of the Union League Club, 



CLUBS AND SOCIETIES. 263 

at Madison av. and E. 26th St., facing Madison sq. The foinier theatre having 
been remodeled, this club now has the most spacious dining-room of them 
all ; and it is the settled home of many bachelors. 

The Players is a club of actors of the highest order, whose beautifully fitted 
home, at 16 Gramercy Park (116 E. 20th st.), was the gift, complete, of Mr. Edwin 
Booth, the great tragedian, who makes his home there. " It was formally opened 
on New Year's eve, 18S8. On the first floor is a billiard-room and the various 
ofiices ; the reading-room, lounging-room, and grill-room are upon the second 
story, and the third contains the library. This is a priceless collection of dramatic 
lore, the playbills gathered by Augustine Daly, the libraries of Edwin Booth and 
Lawrence Barrett, and books from many others." Another actors' club, of a more 
Bohemian kind, is The Lambs. 

The Progress is a club of Hebrew-Americans, which has just completed a 
conspicuous and elegant Florentine building at Fifth av. and 63d St., that cost 
$500,000, is magnificently furnished, and contains the largest ball-room in the city. 

The German is another old club, about to erect a new building on 58th st. 
near Si.xth av. Its members are the wealthiest Germans of New York and 
vicinity. Another strong German club is the Harmonie, whose elegant home is 
conspicuous at 45 W. 42d St., facing Bryant sq. 

The Harlem, the Merchants', the Down Town (new building at the corner 
of Pine and Cedar sts.) and several others need no particular mention. 

Special in their character, are the Delta Kappa Epsilon (535 Fifth av.), the 
Psi Upsilon [■},}, W. 42d st.), and the Delta Psi (29 E. 28th), none of which are 
open to any except to members of these college secret societies ; the Fellowcraft, 
Aldine and Authors' clubs, formed by literary workers for the most part (for the 
"Authors'" see Harper''s Magazine, Nov. 1886); the Press Club, with rooms at 
150 Nassau St.; the Grolier Club of bibliophiles; the Whist, Fencer's and 
Chess clubs; the Ohio Society, at 236 Fifth av. ; the Harvard Club (for 
alumni) at 11 \V. 22d ; the Electric Club, 17 E. 21st; the Lawyer's Club, in 
the Equitable Building, and the art, musical and sporting clubs, mentioned in the 
chapters devoted to those topics. 

Woman's clubs have been started from time to time, but have not ])rospered, as 
a rule. Sorosis is a society of women for intellectual and artistic culture, 
which meets monthly at Delmonico's for " a feast of reason and a flow of 
soul " besides a remarkably good dinner; and once a year it holds a reception of 
a similar character to which a limited number of gentlemen are invited. More 
lately there has been started an association of some 50 ladies, which is more nearly 
a " club " than anything established hitherto. It is called the Woman's Univer- 
sity Club, and has rooms on Madison av. where receptions are given on Satur- 
days. 



264 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

" Unlike the typical woinaii's club, it is devoted to the discussion of no occult 
theories and the consideration of no crying evils, but is purely of a social nature. 
.The Saturday afternoon receptions are informal and delightful, the chief entertain- 
ment being the woman's favorite beverage, which cheers but not inebriates and is 
prepared before the open fire by a charming woman in a dainty manner. The 
rooms have received some additions of pictures, and the nucleus of a library is en- 
closed in a very pretty bookcase. The humble beginning of the club augurs well 
for its ultimate success." 

Reminiscent. — A capital sketch of clubs and club life in old and in modern 
New York was furnished by Mr. Henry L. Nelson as a supplement to Harper's 
Weekly, for March 15, 1890, from which the following is quoted and condensed : 

" The first clubs of New York were such as Dr. Johnson organized and loved, 
with a difference. The pleasure of the Johnson club was its talk; that of the 
New York club was its dinner. The old New Yorkers deceived themselves into 
believing that they were intellectual descendants of Shakespeare and Ben Johnson, 
of Sam Johnson, Garrick, Goldsmith, and Reynolds, because they met in taverns 
at stated and regular times, but every one who has read William Irving's poetry in 
Salmagundi knows better. 

" This, however, is not true of the first club of the city, the lawyers' Moot Club, 
at which cases were tried and questions of law argued. It was founded in 1775, 
and among its members were John Jay, Gouverneur Morris, and Stephen Ue 
Lancey. They lived in the day when the literature of their profession was mak- 
ing. 

"In 1792 the Drone Club was founded as a sbcial and literary organization. 
Afterward came the Kraut Club, which met annually for a dinner; the Turtle 
Club; the Bread and Cheese Club, founded by James Fenimore Cooper in 1824. 
All of them were on the Johnsonian model. There was a dash of literary flavor 
in them, at a time when every scribbler for the somewhat thin and altogether sub- 
servient press was counted a man of letters. Very humble chroniclers of the 
doings of the times were those scribblers who, at public dinners, when their lords, 
the Aldermen, fed themselves, stood in the hallway, and noted the elegant com- 
pany, and smelled the savory dishes as they were borne by them. When they got 
inside their back rooms on club nights, however, they were the true successors of 
the wits of the Queen Anne Coffee-house and the clubs of the great lexicog- 
rapher. . . . 

" Tlif most famous of the dinner-giving organizations was the Hone Club, 
founded in 1836, and named for Mayor Philip Hone. Its members were among 
the first merchants of the city, and were all admirers of Daniel Webster. Philip 
Hone lived in a fine house directly opposite the City Hall Park, and afterward at 
the corner of Broadway and Great Jones St. He was an admirable specimen of 
his class — rich, generous, and hospitable. When he was Mayor his entertainments 
to distinguished visitors were so lavish that his friends insisted on relieving him 
of part of his assumed burdens. Therefore the Hone Club was established. Din- 
ners were given bv the members in turn at their own houses, and it was under- 
stood that on the days when the great Daniel looked in upon the town, the mem- 
ber whose turn it was should give his dinner then. Those were happy days for 
Webster and for the merchant princes who feasted him, for he had the noble 
products of a great ^V/^' and the rich contents of a fine cellar, while the others 
enjoyed the stimulating presence of the lion of his day. Sometimes Irving was a 



CLUBS AND SOCIETIES. 265 

guest of the Hone Club — modest Mr. Irving, who ran* away from public dinners 
for fear he might be called upon for a speech, and whose happiest after-dinner 
effort was his confession that he had forgotten the lines of his prepared address to 
Charles Dickens, liut the sparkle of New York life in the first half of tJie century 
did not bubble up in literature and in literary conversation. Boston was much 
better off in that respect, as it is to-day. There were law, theology, and com- 
merce; and, for pleasure, eating, drinking, dancing, and the theaLie." 

Secret Orders. 

All, probably, of the secret orders and societies in the United States have 
representatives in New York and for many it is the American headquarters. 
Several of these stand before the public more in a social aspect, or otherwise, than 
on account of any secrecy in their proceedings, and are mentioned elsewhere, e.g. 
the "Greek letter societies" of collegians, above; the Turn Verein, under 
Amusements; the Loyal Legion under Military, etc. A long list of others 
may be found mentioned under Charities, while many are not deemed of sufficient 
interest to the average stranger in town to be given here at all, since their names 
and addresses appear in Trow's Directory. The orders of Free Masonry and Odd- 
Fellows remain for special notice. 

Free Masonry. — The Brothers of the Mystic Tie, who " meet upon the level 
and part upon the square " have as a rule to be sought for in out-of-the-way halls, 
yet much can be seen and learned about the order in its semi-public homes. 

Masonic Tcviplc, at Sixth av. and 23d st. is the headquarters of the Grand 
Lodge of New York State. It is a lofty granite building, at whose entrance are 
two massive symbolical pillars of bronze. Entering through a portico of coui)led 
Doric columns we pass by a ]iair of sphinxes, guarding the inner doors, and at the 
summit of a flight of marble steps meet the famous statue of Secrecy, a Roman 
matron with fingers warningly placed upon her lips. On the left of the first floor are 
the offices of the Grand Secretary and other Grand dignitaries of the Blue lodges. 
On the right is the large hall of the Grand Lodge of the State which meets annually 
in June. The remainder of the year the room is available for assemblies, lectures, 
preaching, etc. Scattered through the corridors on the upper floors will be noticed 
cases of Masonic curiosities, such as charters, patents, aprons, scarves, jewels, 
swords, trowels, etc., of historical value. These, and the portraits and liusts of 
Grand Masters, form a part of the n^useum attached to the Grand Lodge library. 
This notable collection of Masonic literature is open to all visitors between 3.30 
and 10.30 p. m. The lodge-rooms, Royal Arch chapters, and asylums of Knights 
Templar on the upper floors, where the subordinate bodies meet, are open to the 
]iublic, and should be inspected. They are not only elegantly decorated and fur- 
nished but each room is built and finished in a different style of architecture. 
The most striking are the Chapter room, a fac-simile of an Egyptian tomb or tem- 
ple, and the Commandery room or asylum on the top floor, which represents the 
choir of a Gothic cathedral. The Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters 
meets annually there on the first Tuesday of September, it and the Grand I^odge 
being the only Grand bodie§ which assemble in this city regularly every year, 



266 GUIDE rO NEW YORK CITY. 

Masonic hall is now paid-for, and is the property of the Blue lodges. The Gei- 
man Masons have a building of their own overlooking Stuyvesant sq. The high- 
grade or Scottish Rite Masons, who control the fourth to the thirty-third degrees, 
are divided into different organizations — Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret, 
Rose-Croix, Princes of Jerusalem, etc. Those of the Supreme Grand Council of 
the United States, thirty-third and last degree, — as founded by Joseph Cerneau at 
New York in 1807, of which both Lafayette and DeWitt Clinton were Sovereign 
Grand Commanders — meet in a big lodge room over Koster & Bial's on 23d st. 
The Supreme Grand Council of the Northern Jurisdiction meets at Scottish Rite 
Hall, Madison av. and 29th st. 

Two other organizations more or less affiliated with the Masonic Order, viz, the 
Sheikhs of the Kaaba, and the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, hold their "khana- 
keens " it is believed at the Masonic Temple and elsewhere. Much mystery, how- 
ever, conceals their ceremonies and movements, as also those of many associate 
orders to which Freemasons alone are admitted, such as the Pilgrim of the Palm 
and Shell, the Ancient and Primitive, Swedenborg, Mizraim and Memjihis Rites, 
as well as the Eastern Star lodges in which only the wives, sisters, and daughters 
of Blue Lodge Masons can be initiated. Here, however, we are trenching upon 
secrets that the brothers and sisters "hele, conceal and never reveal. So mote it 
be!" 

Odd-Fello'ws. — "There are over 100 lodges of the, Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows in New York citv, and the headquarters of these is Odd-Fellows' Hall, at 
the southeast corner of Grand and Centre sts. This building is about 100 ft. 
square, and has several large rooms decorated in various styles of architecture. 
At the time it was built — about a quarter of a century ago — it was the most impos- 
ing structure in that part of the city, and even at present its squat, brown dome, 
and fluted columns make it a noticeable object. Lodges meet here nightly." 

Scientific and Learned Societies. 

Learned men, especially if specialists, will find in New York many societies 
and clubs devoted to scientific, medical, and other learned investigations; but 
these persons will be pretty likely to know in advance of their coming where to 
find the particular ones they are in search of, and the Directory may be examined 
for addresses. The widest interest doubtless attaches to the New York Histori- 
cal Society at the corner of Second av. and E. nth St., collections of which 
have already been described (see Libraries and Art). Monthly meetings are 
held during the cool months, at which historical essays are read. A fund is in 
hand for the erection of a ivew and more adequate building. 

The object of this society (founded, 1804) is to investigate matters of local his< 



CLUBS AND SOCIETIES. 267 

tory and preserve records and relics illustrating it. The leading citizens of that 
date were active in forwarding its interests, particularly Mr. Johli Pintard, who 
contemplated a great and comprehensive museum, library and art collection, as 
well as a historical and genealogical society. His valuable collection of books 
and Ms. notes was subsequently acquired by the society. Besides the library of 
70,000 volumes, the building contains the interesting Nineveh marbles, presented 
by James Leno.x, and the Abbot collection of Egyptian antiquities, consisting of 
some 1,200 objects. "The gallery of art is upon the fourth floor, and, except- 
ing the Metropolitan museum of art, comprises, perhaps, the largest permanent 
collection in America at the present time of valuable sculptures, ancient and 
modern paintings by renowned masters, and authentic portraits of persons distin- 
guished in history. It contains 800 pictures and 59 pieces of sculpture, and 
includes the collections of the late Luman Reed, the New York Gallery of Fine 
Arts, the American Art Union, the famous ' Bryan Gallery ' collected and pre- 
sented to the society by the lamented and eminent virtuoso. Thomas |. Bryan, 
and the collection formed by the late Louis Durr. In all its departments the col- 
lections are increasing so rapidly that the society is taking measures to provide a 
larger repository for them in a more central location." 

The New York Academy of Sciences, (founded in 1817 as the N. Y. Lyceum 
of Natural History) still holds weekly meetings in Hamilton Hall, Columbia 
College, and publishes " transactions." It has a library, deposited in the library 
of Columbia, which is especially rich in sets of the serial publications of foreign 
scientific societies : and its studies are mainly in geology and biology. Lectures 
are given each winter (free admission by ticket procurable from members). The 
Monday evening meetings are open to the public and ladies always attend. 

The Linnean is a younger and more exclusively natural history society, meet- 
ing at the American Museum of Natural History, once a fortnight. The Torrey 
Botanical Club, the Am. Microscopical Society, the N. Y. Microscopical 
Society, and the Am. Chemical Society are a few others of the same character. 
The Am. Geographical Society is a flourishing institution, with interesting 
rooms and a large library, at No. 11 \V. 29th st., which any one may visit during 
the day. It has a grand collection of maps and charts, and many interesting 
mementos of travel and travellers. Its monthly meetings (first Tuesday of each 
month from May to November) are held in Chickering Hall, when lectures on 
geographical subjects are given which are usually illustrated and always attract 
large audiences. Free tickets are distributed by members, or mailed to applicants 
by the permanent secretary at 1 1 W. 29th st. 

The American Institute is an old society, with rooms and a library in Clinton 
Hall, which has attained wide notoriety on account of its annual fair. The object 
of the society was promotion of invention and domestic industry ; and after many 
wanderings its fair has now settled in a building of its own at Third av. and 63d 
St. (Third Av. El. Ry. to 67th st. ; or Second Av. El. Ry. to 65th st., " These fairs 
are usually kept open for several weeks in the fall ; and, among a vast array of 



268 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

machinery in motion, agricultural implements and manufactured goods, there are 
always to be seen a sufficient number of curious and beautiful objects to repay 
one for a visit. The building at 63d st. is a large hall covering the entire square, 
and is of the railway-station order of architecture. The promenade concerts given 
every evening during the exhibition attract many young people, usually more 
interested in each other than in the useful arts." The Farmers Club, of wide 
fame, is a section of this society. 

The Am. Society of Civil Engineers, 127 E. 23d st., possesses a pleasant 
club-house and library. 

The list of such societies might be prolonged, but they have nothing to show the 
sight-seer. The same is true of the thirty or forty societies devoted to medicine, 
surgery or hygiene. There is a County Medical Society, which examines and 
licenses qualified physicians to practice, under authority from the state. Its 
meetings are held the last Monday evening of each month at the Academy of 
Medicine, 12 W. 31st st. This Academy is a corporation of physicians and licen- 
tiates. Its objects are the cultivation of the science of medicine ; the advance- 
ment of the character and honor of the profession ; the elevation of the standard 
of medical education ; and the promotion of the public health. There are sections 
devoted to a variety of special diseases and departments of the science ; and rooms 
and a library of 20,000 volumes are open daily to the public at 12 W. 31st st. In 
the same building are the rooms of \.\ie. Medica/ Journal Association, \\\\\c\\ ex\s,is 
to furnish immediate access to all current medical literature in the department of 
medical journals and monographs. Several other special societies hold their 
meetmgs in this buildmg, also, which has thus become a professional headquar- 
ters for the metropolis. 



XVI. 
MILITARY AFFAIRS. 




The Regular Army and the Forts. 



; ,->.i^ ROB ABLY there is no great city in the world, where nuil- 
>.'. '^ itary and naval affairs are so little before the eyes 

and minds of the citizens as in New York. The only 
fortifications and garrisons are far enough outside to put 
them quite apart from it ; and though private soldiers and 
sailors are often seen on the streets, an officer in uniform 
is almost never visible. Yet a considerable body of United 
States troops is always within a short distance of the city; 
and several thousand thoroughly drilled and equipped militiamen are able to be 
summoned within a few hours to quell a riot or meet any other emergency for 
which the police might be inadequate. 

The city of New York is now the general headquarters of the Military Depart- 
ment of the Atlantic, which is co-extensive with the Division of the same name, and 
embraces all of the states east of the Mississippi River. The residence and head- 
quarters post is on Governor's Island (see below) where all the Division and purely 
military business is transacted ; but the offices of the chief quartermaster and 
chief commissary, and the other commercial departments are in the new Army 
Building, a fine structure at the corner of Whitehall and Pearl sts. This stands 
on ground covered by one corner of the first Dutch fortification erected in New 
Amsterdam, and occupies the site of the old Produce Exchange. 

Governor's Island. — The major-general commanding at present is O. O. How- 
ard, known quite as widely for his religious philanthropy on one side as for his 
fighting ability on the other. The residences of himself and his staff are on Gov- 
ernor's Island, which is probably preferred to any other post in the Union, both for 
beauty and convenience, and on account of its proximity to the metropolis ; and 
an assignment there is eagerly sought for by most officers. 



270 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

This island originally was densely wooded, of course, and was known to the 
early Dutch settlers as Nut Island, — a translation of the Indian name " Pogg- 
auck; " and thither merry parties would go on nutting picnics in the autumn. Its 
first owner was Governor Van Twiller, who purchased it from the redmen in 1635 ; 
and as it passed from him to his successors it came to be known as a sort of Gov- 
ernor's park, an appanage of the oftice : hence the present name. 

Governor's Island lies directly in the mouth of East River, about half a mile 
from the New York, and an equal distance from the Brooklyn shore, from the latter 
of which it is separated by Buttermilk Channel. The island contains about 65 
acres, and has been exclusively owned and occupied by the War Department since 
previous to the war of 181 2, when its strategical position was taken advantage 
of and the extensive fortifications that now cover it, were erected. A ferry-boat 
(free) is run between the island and the U. S. Barge office, next to South Ferry, 
at intervals of an hour or so ; and though purposeless tramping about the island 
is discouraged, a quietly behaved visitor will be welcomed. It will facilitate 
sight-seeing, however, if an introduction to a resident officer be obtained. 

The landing is upon the northern side of the island, at the foot of a road running 
up to the Parade. All the ground at the right of this road belongs to the New 
York Arsenal, in charge of the Ordnance Bureau, and is covered with offices, 
magazines, pyramids of shot and shell, and rows of dismounted cannon ; the huge 
gun crushing its supports on the little wharf is one of three 20-inch Rodmans 
— the largest cannon owned by the government. At the left, a few yards beyond 
the landing, the quadrangular Parade appears, adorned with trees and a pretty 
band-stand and surrounded by the comfortable, albeit old-fashioned, houses of the 
commandant and headquarters' staff; at the further end are the officers' club, the 
chapel, built mainly by the exertions of Mrs. General Hancock, widow of the late 
commandant, and the soldiers' barracks. At the near corner is the long building 
filled with the library and picture-gallery of the Military Service Institution — an 
organization by officers of the army devoted to the advancement of their profes- 
sion. This is a progressive and highly important institution, and publishes every 
two months a "Journal," in magazine form, edited and contributed to by officers, 
which takes very high rank among publications of its class. Near by is the 
Military Museum, the key of which can be obtained, and an illustrated catalogue 
purchased, at the Institution. 

In this museum are stored a great number of interesting relics of all our wars, 
especially the last one : a great variety of obsolete and modern arms and equip- 
ments, both domestic and foreign ; a large and interesting collection of objects of 
Indian handicraft, costumes, decorations, etc., collected by officers on the frontier ; 
many presentation and personal swords, guns and the like, and miscellaneous 
articles of interest. Especially to be mentioned are : the Relics of Sir John 
Franklin ; the war horse (admirably mounted) which Sheridan rode at Win- 
chester, — 



MILITARY AFFAIRS. 271 

" the steed, 

That saved the day, by carrying Sheridan into the fight 
From Winchester, twenty miles away." 

This horse was of Black Hawk blood, came into service with the Second Michi- 
gan Cavalry, and was considered by Sheridan the best charger he ever knew. A 
kettle-driun captured at Saratoga in 1777, the camp-bedstead and a card-table that 
belonged to Washington, represent the War of Independence ; while a series of 
torn battle flags recall the Civil War. 

laeyond the Parade a sunken way leads to the moat, picturesque old sallyport 
and interior of Fort Columbus, which is half-filled with the quarters of officers and 
artillerymen. Throtigh an opposite port you pass down to the level of the moat, 
now dry and grassv, on the opposite side and climb the narrow stairs leading to the 
scarp, when the magnificent breadth of the harbor breaks upon the view. 
Thence a path descends the sloping lawn of the glacis, past the little powder 
magazine and the hospital (on the right) to old Castle Williams, a small, circular 
fort of brick and stone on the point of the island opposite the Battery and com- 
manding the channel. 

This old-fashioned and now worthless fortress was begun in 180S, but its con- 
struction lagged until the war of 1812 was threatening the country, when it was 
completed in great haste by the voluntary labor of the citizens ; the professors and 
students of Columbia College, for example, came in a body and worked several 
days upon it. Its name honors the memory of Col. Jonathan Williams, the son of 
a Revolutionary patriot and the grandnephevv of Benjamin Franklin. He studied 
military science and fortifications in France, and was made Chief Engineer of the 
American army in 1805, when lie built most of the forts in the inner harbor of New 
York, including Fort Columbus, and Fort Clinton (Castle Garden). It has three 
stories of casenaates, reached from the ground by spiral staircases in towers. 
The lower tiers are now used for storage and the uppermost as a prison for mili- 
tary convicts. Several great guns are still mounted upon the parapets, and used 
for saluting; and it is worth while, if you can obtain permission, to mount to the 
top, since one of the most beautiful views in the world is to be obtained there. 
The whole expanse of the harbor, crowded with shipping and dominated by the 
Liberty Statue, is beneath the eye, while the vista extends far up both North and 
East rivers, takes in the grand architectural ]3ile of accumulated buildings at the 
lower end of New York, sweeps the long range of Brooklyn's shore-front, the full 
span of the great bridge, and overlooks the pretty island behind you. At sunset, 
when the evening-gun on the shore beneath booms out the day's farewell, the 
scene is thrillingly beautiful. 

Leaving the Castle, you will walk along the shore, past the water batteries, 
which may be made extremely formidable at short notice, and so around the 
southern extremity of the island and back through the Parade to the ferry. 

The Signal, or "Weather," Service is a branch of the U. S. Army whose 
reports upon coming weather are watched for with especial eagerness by the mari- 
time half of the population. Its station is in a little chamber on the roof of the 
Equitable Building [q. v.). Near it are mounted the wind-gauges, thermometers. 



272 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

etc., and the tall staff upon which are floated during the day the flags, and at 
night the lanterns, that indicate weather anticipated during the next few hours. 
These signals are ordered from Washington ; but observations are given and 
received by telegraph between this city and 150 other stations, and upon them are 
based the opinions in regard to the weather which appear almost daily in the 
local newspapers in the form of interviews with the sergeant in charge. The flags 
are not conspicuous, but the great red danger-light can be seen at a great distance. 
Visitors are welcomed at the station, and its apparatus is of great interest. (See 
also Central Park). 

Other than this, the Regular Army is confined to the islands and fortifications 
in and about the harbor, described in the chapters A Tour of the Harbor, 
East River, and Brooklyn. The list of military stations and fortifications in the 
immediate neighborhood includes West Point (57 miles up the Hudson) ; David's 
Island ; Willett's Point, on the Long Island side of the entrance to Long Island 
Sound — an engineers' school and torpedo station ; Fort Schuyler, on Throgg's 
Neck; the Navy Yard in Brooklyn; Governor's Island (headquarters described 
above); Bedloe's Island, — Fort W^ood; Ellis Island (magazines); Fort Hamilton, 
Brooklyn shore of the Narrows ; Fort Lafayette, in the water opposite Fort Hamil- 
ton (abandoned); Fort Wadsworth and its associated batteries on the Staten 
Island shore of the Narrows ; and Sandy Hook, where new artillery is tested and 
where the beginning of an enormous fortress was made long ago and is advanced 
af ii^ervals. 

Recruiting Offices for the army are at the foot of Cortlandt st. and several 
places elsewhere. New recruits are sent to David's Island, at the exit of East 
River, where they remain for some months undergoing instruction and drill, before 
entering active service. 

Narwnal Guard, S. N. K. 

" The militia organizations of the city," writes Mr. Percy Townsend, 

"have always been a just source of pride to New Yorkers, for here alone has 
the National Guard system attained anything like the standard which was contem- 
plated by the act which created it. The inalienable right to bear arms seems to 
be dear to the hearts of the people of the city, and 5,230 otticers and enlisted men, 
forming seven regiments of infantry and two batteries of artillery, comprise the 
First- Brigade. These troops are all thoroughly equipped and regularly drilled, 
and form a very respectable body of efficient soldiers always at the disposal of the 
Governor of the State, who is ex officio commander-in-chief of the National Guard. 
These organizations have proved their value at various times of disturbance of the 
public peace, notably during the " draft riots " of 1863, the " orange riots " in 1871, 
and the "railroad-strike troubles" in 1S77. The knowledge of their presence 
always exercises a beneficial influence upon the dangerous classes of a great city. 



MILITARY AFFAIRS. 273 

The material of which they are composed is not confined to any race or class, and 
naturalized citizens are as enthusiastic militiamen as Americans. The artillery is 
composed partly of Germans, while of the infantry one regiment is distinctively 
German, one Irish, and the others, known as American, contain many naturalized 
citizens. 

"The members of these regiments of citizen soldiery partly pay for their own 
uniforms. Arms, equipments, and munitions of war are furnished by the State, 
and certain other allowances are made to the organizations. The term of service 
is five years. Weekly company drills are held during the winter months. For- 
merly on national holidays, like July 4th, Decoration Day, or Washington's Birth- 
day, it was customary for the military to parade ; but of late years this has been 
discontinued, except on Decoration Day (May 30). It is also generally paraded 
for review by the Commander-in-Chief in the fall of each year." 

The local troops, composing the First Brigade (one-third of the total authorized 
militia of the State) have their headquarters at 6 Pine St., and are organized into 
1st and 2d Batteries, and the 7th, 8th, 9th, 12th, 23d, 69th and 71st Regiments of 
infantry ; there is also a very " swell " and somewhat independent troop of hussars, 
and the veteran organization called The Old Guard. In addition to this list, New 
York has the Ordnance Department and Quartermaster-General's Department of 
the State, with an arsenal, like a small fort, at Seventh av. and 35th st. (The 
U. S. Arsenal is on Governor's Island.) 

The 1st Battery consists mainly of Germans, and has an armory at 340 W. 44th 
St. The 2d Battery is armed with gatling guns, and its armory is on Seventh av. 
between 52d and 53d sts. 

Seventh Regiment Armory. — Of the Infantry the famous Seventh Regiment 
is the "crack" corps, and has the finest armory in the United States, filling the 
entire square bounded by 66th and 67th sts., Fourth and Lexington avs., covering 
200 ft. by 405 ft. The material is Philadelphia brick, with granite trimmings. The 
entrance is on Fourth av., where are the offices and reception rooms. Behind 
these is the magnificent drill-room, 200 by 300 feet in floor space, roofed at a great 
height by a single arch, and surrounded by galleries and glass cases for the storage 
of arms. This is adequately heated and lighted ; and when decorated for some 
fete, or occupied, as occasionally happens, by a ball or a fashionable fair, it is one 
of the most splendid rooms in the country. The building also contains si.x rooms 
for drilling squads, a rifle range 100 yards long, and rooms for the colonel, the 
adjutant, the field and staff, the non-commissioned oflicers and the board of olifi- 
cers. In addition to these official apartments there are a reception room, a library, 
a memorial room, a gymnasium, a hall for the Veteran's organization and ten 
rooms assigned to the different companies. These more social quarters are elab- 
orately and expensively decorated and furnished, and form a military club-house 
of the first order. As is implied by these facts, the Seventh is made up largely of 
the sons of wealthy families, socially prominent, and takes quite as much pride in 



274 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 




itself as does the city in it. Its record is most lionorable, both Ijefore and since it 
was among the first volunteers to reach Washington at the opening of the Civil 
War ; and in marching and soldierly bearing it claims, probably with good reason, 
the first place in the New York militia. 

The Eighth and Sev- 
enty-First Regiments oc- 
cupy jointly an old armory, 
up-stairs, at Broadway and 
35th St. where Sixth av. 
crosses Broadway diagonally ; 
the armory of the Ninth is at 
221 W. 26th St.; and of the 
Twelfth at 62d st. and Ninth 
av. — a new building of com- 
mendable proportions and ar- 
rangement conspicuous from 
the trains of the Sixth Av. E'. 
Ry. The Sixty-Ninth Reg- 
iment is made up almost 
wholly of Irishmen, and was 
the one so conspicuous for 
bravery under Corcoran, at the first battle of Bull Run. Its armory is over 
Tompkins Market, on Third av. between 6th and 7th sts. One battalion of the 
new Naval Reserve (militia) has been organized in this city, with temporary 
quarters at the First Battery Armory. 

The National Rifle Association, which was organized in 187 1 for the pur- 
pose of encouraging rifie practice throughout the United States, and to secure a 
uniform system of arming, drilling, and target practice among the National Guard 
of New York and the militia of other states, and also to provide and maintain a 
suitable rifle range in the vicinity of New York City, has established such a range 
at Creedmoor, L. I. (which see). Selected teams from the various regiments of the 
National Cuard compete there for prizes. 

The Loyal Legion, an organization of veteran ofiicers of the late war and their 
eldest sons, meets on the first Wednesday evening of each month at 214 Fifth av. 

The Grand Army of the Republic (headquarters, Albany) is represented in 
New York City and Brooklyn by 87 Posts, many of which own handsome halls, 
and number among them men of eminence. A note to Col. McK. Loeser, 8 S. 
William st., will procure information as to the meeting-place of any particular post. 

An account of Naval Affairs will here be found under the heading Navy Yard, 
in the chapter on Brooklyn. 



ARMORY OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT. 



XVII. 
HOSPITALS, DISPENSARIES AND NURSES. 




EW YORK is justly proud of its hospitals and its ambu- 
lance service. It has been said with great truth by the 
able editor of the " Dictionary of New York," that many 
of these institutions have attained a degree of excellence 
in management and comfort in appointments which render 
them more desirable as places in which to take refuge 
during illness than almost any private house or home. 
" This is especially true of the New York, St. Luke's, and 
Roosevelt hospitals, where by paying a reasonable sum the best medical attend- 
ance, diet, and nursing may be had. Any stranger in the city, or any person living 
in a hotel or boarding-house, should not be deterred by old-time ]5rejudice from 
increasing his comfort and chances of recovery by removing at once to a first-class 
hos|)ital, away from the noise and inattention incident to an illness in a boarding- 
house." The present writer heartily endorses this advice. 

Bellevue. — This is the most widely known hospital in America. It stands at 
the foot of E. 26th St., and is a " long, grayish, four-story, prison-like structure, sit- 
uated in a block which extends to the East River, and is enclosed by a high, for- 
bidding stone wall. It was established in 1826, and is under control of the Dept. 
of Charities and Correction, who expend upon it about $100,000 a year. For 
many years it has been famous for the high medical and surgical skill of which it 
is the theatre, its faculty embracing many leading members of the profession in 
the city." 

Bellevue is governed by a medical board, with military inspection and discipline, 
and it is a prize of scholarship in the medical schools to be given a cadet- 
ship there. Admission of jjatients (between 10 a. m. and 3 p. m.), is procurable 
upon the reconmiendation of a physician, but contagious diseases are refused ; 
accidents and sudden illness, at any time of day or night. Hours for visitors, from 
II a. m. to 3 p. m. Near by is the Emergency Hospital, 223 E. 26th st. (Dej^t. 



276 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Public Charities and Correction), for the relief of persons taken suddenly ill, and 
women on their way to Maternity Hospital. 

Within the grounds is the Bellevue Hospital Medical College, founded in 1861, 
under the ausi:)ices of the Commissioners of Public Charities and Correction, who 
are ex-otificio members of the Board of Trustees. The college has taken a high 
rank, and has now about 500 students. The course is three years in length, diplo- 
mas are given, and the fees arc low. 

The l\loi\s;ite is another object of gruesome interest at Bellevue. It is a small, 
one-story building. In an inner room, protected by a partition of glass, the un- 
known and unclaimed dead lie stretched, almost nude, upon marble slabs, and 
under the drip of icy water. Many of these ghastly corpses come from the rivers, 
which yield a floating dead body for almost every day in the year. They are kept 
for 72 hours, if the warden deems it permissible, and photographs, the clothes, 
etc., are retained for a long time, sometimes enabling identification to be made by 
friends long after the burial of the body. 

The New York Hospital is next in popularity, and the oldest in the city, since 
though it was chartered by George III., in 177 1, it was no doubt a direct outcome 
of the older hospital which went back to a hundred years before that in its history. 

The office and residence is at No. 8 W. i6th — a handsome brown-stone 
structure, with a pretty front yard and abundance of ivy. But in 1877 there was 
opened in the rear of this office, a magnificent structure facing W. 15th st. (near 
Fifth av.), having every modern device for health and comfort. This hospital also 
maintains a branch " house of relief," for cases of accident or sudden illness, at 
160 Chambers St., in the heart of the wholesale district, whither the police take 
down-town cases of injured and prostrated persons, found in the street or other- 
wise coming into their hands. This branch, as well as the main establishment, 
has ambulances, and it gives free treatment. 

Other Hospitals.— i?<?oj-^^//, at 5gth st., and Ninth av., is constructed on the 
pavilion plan, and is of great size and excellence. St. Luke's Hospital (Fifth av. 
and 54th St.) is under the care of the Prot. Episcopal Church, but makes no dis- 
tinction as to its patients. Trinity Church maintains several beds at St. Luke's, 
for its own people, and also sustains Tri)iiiy Hospital to supply medical aid to the 
poor of the entire parish, either at their homes or in the infirmary wards. The St. 
Marfs Free Hospital for Children, 407 W. 34th St., is under the auspices of the 
same church. Another great semi-denominational hospital is the Presbyterian, 
Madison av. and 70th st., where nine-tenths of the patients pay no money. Sev- 
eral hospitals and dispensaries are under Roman Catholic auspices, such as St. 
Vincent^s, 195 W. nth st. (visitors, Tuesdays and Fridays, 3 to 5p.m.); St. 
Francises, 603 5th st., and St. Joseph's, a branch of the above in Carmansville ; and 
St. Elizabeth'' s, 225 W. 31st st. No distinction as to religion or race is made as to 
applicants in any of these institutions. 

Several hospitals are especially intended for women and children, largest among 
which is the IVotnaii's Hospital of the State of New York, which receives many 
paying patients from other states. Visiting physicians are admitted to daily 



HOSPITALS, DISPENSARIES AND NURSES. 277 

clinics by card. The N'ursery and Child's Hospital, at •Lexington av. and 51st 
St. maintains and cares for children of wet-nurses and for lying-in women and their 
children; and has a country branch on Staten Island. There are others. The 
French, Germans, Hebrews and colored people have hospitals designed primarily 
for their own people. Local hospitals for relief in emergencies and local cases 
occur in Harlem and northward. In the Hahnetnan those who prefer homeo- 
pathic treatment can have it. Various diseases have hospitals for their special 
treatment, — as those of the chest, throat, eyes, ears, rupture, cancer, etc. The 
addresses of these can easily be ascertained. The U. S. Marine Hospital is at 
Stapleton, S. I. 

Dispensaries. — In addition to the hospitals manyyOv*' dispensaries, for supplying 
the poor with medical advice and with medicines, are scattered about. They do 
an enormous amount of good, and to a large extent take the place of local hos- 
pitals in the tenement districts. 

Ambulance Service. — An ambulance service is connected with the New York, 
Roosevelt, St. Vincent, Reception, Presbyterian, and Bellevue hospitals ; and is 
so constantly called into requisition that the sound of its loud gong, at which every 
teamster is prompt to move aside and let it rush unhindered on its errand of 
mercy along the crowded streets, is a very familiar one to all citizens. " The 
ambulance is used in nearly all cases of street accidents, some cases of disease, and 
m.any cases of violent inebriety. It can be summoned by telegraph from any 
police-station, or from any alarm-box of the Fire Department, by tapping the 
Morse key twenty times and sounding the box number. It is familiar in all local- 
ities and at all hours — a covered wagon with a neatly uniformed surgeon sitting 
behind." 

Trained Nurses. — The demand for trained ministers to the sick, which has 
greatly increased of late, has been met by the establishment of schools for teach- 
ing the art of nursing to young women ; and these schools have been very success- 
ful, and have drawn to them a most capable lot of strong and intelligent girls. 
Men are also trained at the various hospitals, but in a less formal way. 

Training schools exist in connection with the Charity, Bellevue and New York 
hospitals, where the ordinary course is two years. The nurses reside in, or near 
the hospital, where home-like arrangements are provided ; and they receive a 
small rate of pay in addition to board and washing. The course of instruction 
includes practical work in the medical and surgical wards, instruction in special 
nursing, bandaging, etc., and elementary lessons in anatomy, physiology and 
hygiene, and they are given practical experience in all branches. Satisfactory 
completion of this course entitles the nurses to a diploma, and is pretty sure to be 
followed by lucrative employment. An illustrated article in The Century, for 
November, 1882, gives an account of these nurses, the history of "the schools, and 
the reforms they have brought about. 



XVIII. 
METROPOLITAN BENEVOLENCE. 




Public Charities. 

Ifr EARING in inind that this is a visitor's, rather than a citi- 
zen's, guide-book, not much in detail seems called fo"r 
under this head. The Charities of New York may be 
divided into the two classes, Public and Private, though 
in reality these intermingle somewhat, since public ap- 
])ropriations are made in some instances toward the 
support of private, or semi-private institutions. In a 
general way, however, the distinction holds good. The 
public charitable institutions of the city are under control of a 
Department of the City Government known as the Comviission of Charities 
and Correction. The office of this Commission is at 66 Third av. (corner nth 
St.), and to it are made applications for relief, or admission to the hospitals, alms- 
houses and nurseries, and for voluntary committal to the workhouse. Any appli- 
cant if entirely destitute is entitled to admission to the hospital (determined by an 
examination at Bellevue), or other appropriate institution, if chargeable to the 
County of New York. The city is divided into ii districts, to each of which is 
assigned a visitor of the poor, who reports in writing to the superintendent the 
name, age, color, and profession of the applicant living in his district, whether 
married or single, number of family, sex and age of each, place of birth, how long 
resident in the city, cause of the destitution, and the kind and measure of relief 
required. Cases of accident or sudden illness coming under the care of the police 
are transferred to Bellevue and the reception hos])itals by ambulances, which are 
provided with a surgeon, instruments, bandages, and restoratives, and are on duty 
night and day, and can be called from any police station or hospital. The scene 
in the morning when applicants assemble in the hall of the Superintendent of Out- 



ME TROPOLITAN BENE VOLENCE. 279 

door Poor (entrance on iithst.) is worth inspection by all philanthropically in- 
clined or interested in social problems. 

The institutions over which this Commission has control are on the islands in 
the East River, whose large buildings are so conspicuous in passing up or down 
that river in a steamboat. The most important and most southern of the group, 
is Blackwell's Island, the lower end of which is opposite 50th st. 

This island is long and narrow, and is the property of the city. Upon it are the 
penitentiary, the almshouse, lunatic asylum for females, workhouse, bhnd asylum, 
Charity hospital, hospital for incurables, small-pox and convalescent hospital. 
The majority of these buildings are of stone quarried on the island, and by con- 
vict labor. There is a certain rudeness about the work which is quite in accord 
with the turreted and battlemented design. Around the shores of the island, too, 
are heavy sea-walls, all built by the convicts at a comparatively small cost to the 
city. The island is fertile, and farming and gardening are carried on. all by con- 
vict labor ; and at intervals about among the trees are the outbuildings and resi- 
dences of the officials in charge. In the penitentiary building are confined persons 
convicted of misdemeanors, and the average number of inmates is about 1,200. 
The population of the entire island is estimated at about 7,000 persons all told, all 
under the care of the Commission. 

At no very distant day a great bridge will no doubt cross the river over this 
island, as has long been planned. A visit may be made by getting a pass from 
the authorities, but there is little to attract any but a special enquirer into the 
management of such institutions. 

Ward's Island, next above, and separated from the northern extremity of 
Blackwell's by the whirlpools of Hellgate, is nearly circular and contains some 
200 acres. It is divided between the Commissioners of Public Charities and Cor- 
rection and the Commissioners of Emigration. 

Under the care of the former are the insane asylum for males and the homoeo- 
pathic ho.spital. Under the charge of the latter are the State Emigrant Hospital, 
a lunatic asylum, houses of refuge, and a nursery or home for children. There is 
also on the island a home for invalid soldiers of the late war who served in the 
regiments raised in this city. The island is constantly being graded and improved 
by convict labor from Blackwell's Island, and a sea-wall is in process of construc- 
tion. The finest building is the great brick lunatic asylum, which contains over 
1000 patients, and is surrounded by fine trees. The whole island is as pretty as a 
park, as also, is the Astoria shore east of it. Admission is given only by pass ; 
and a special permit is needed to visit the lunatic asylum. The principal ferry is 
from the foot of E. 26th st. 

Randall's Island, north of Ward's and at the mouth of the Harlem river, is 
also city property, and contains the idiot asylum, nursery, and children's and 
infants' hospital, schools and the other charities provided for destitute children. 

These are principally five brick buildings of imposing size, and the island, which 
contains over 100 acres, is handsomely laid out, and shaded by fine trees. On the 
south end of the Island is the House of Refuge, under the care of the Society for 



28o GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents, for the use of which 30 acres are set 
apart. The buildings are of brick in the Italian style of architecture ; the two 
principal buildings are nearly 1,000 ft. long. The boys and girls are kept sepa- 
rate ; and those guilty of social crime, apart from the more youthful. Children 
brought before police magistrates are sentenced to this institution. The average 
number of inmates is 800, ail of whom are taught to work as well as instructed in 
the common English branches. The total population of the island is about 2,500, 

Private and Semi-Private Philanthropies. 

Composed of the representatives of many ot the charitable associations in the 
city, the C/iarity Organization Society exercises a general watchfulness over philan- 
thropic labors in New York, and enables efforts toward doing good and suppress- 
ing evil to gain the strength of united and organized direction. The office is at 
21 University Place, where is also the office of the State Charities Aid Association, 
which supervises philanthropic work throughout the whole state, and promotes 
reforms by legislative means and otherwise. One of its county committees is as- 
signed to this city and county and is divided into sub-committees to visit and 
examine the public institutions in the county. An act of the legislature empowers 
them to do this without let or hindrance from the keepers, many of whom regard 
their visitations in no amiable mood. In New York county there are committees 
to visit the various departments of liellevue and other hospitals and the institu- 
tions for the poor and insane on Ward's, Blackwell's, Randall's and Hart's islands. 
Another committee is the managing board of the Training School for Nurses; and 
it is a branch of this Association which has placed the big boxes seen in ferry 
houses and depots for the reception of the newspapers, books and magazines which 
you have finished reading. The publications collected every day are distributed 
not only to hospitals and other institutions, but also to lighthouses and lonely life- 
saving stations. These two supervisory societies work cordially together and do 
immense service. 

Of the private institutions for general assistance to the poor, none are more 
widely known than the Five Points House 0/ Industry and the Five Points Mission, 
which stand across the street from each other at the Five Points, which is only a 
short walk from Broadway, through Worth st. Both were established about 1850, 
when that locality was the most vicious in the city. Now it is safe, quiet and rea- 
sonably clean ; and these missions, more than anything else, are entitled to credit 
for the change. Both of them assist the destitute of all classes, and find enough 
to occupy them within a very few blocks. They support missionaries among the 
tenement-house people, provide food, clothing and necessaries for applicants 
thought worthy ; maintain large schools and provide for the health, education, etc., 
of great numbers of poor and neglected children, hundreds of whom are sent annu- 
ally to homes in the interior of the country. Another old and general agency is the 



ME TKOPOLITAN BENE VOLENCE. 28 1 

Association for h}tproving the Condition of the Poor (79 F"oiiith av.), which assists 
20,000 or more carefully investigated cases annually. The Hebrew Society for the 
Improvement of the Sanitary Condition of the Poor (103 W. 55th st.) is another 
noteworthy agency in ameliorating the suffering in over-crowded tenements. 

Most charities take a more or less restricted field, and we may therefore group 
them into classes according to their objects. Of private Asylums for the Insane 
New York has only one of note, — the Bloomingdale Asylum, on the high ground 
where W. 117th st. o-verlooks the Hudson river. This asylum is a department of 
the New York Hospital (which see), and under its- control. 

The Blind profit by a society for the relief'of such as are destitute, located at 
Tenth av. and 104th St., while an educational institution for blind children has 
long occupied the beautiful grounds at the corner of Ninth av. and 34th st. 

Deaf-mutes are assisted by three organizations, viz: the Association for the Im- 
proved Instruction of Deaf-mutes (Lexington av. and 67th st.) ; the Home for 
Aged and Infirm Deaf-mutes, which is established in the suburbs of New Ham- 
burg (ofiice at 9 \V. i8th st.) and is national in character : and the New York 
Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb. The last named dates 
from 1817, and had last year 365 pupils of both sexes, who are given both educa- 
tional and industrial training : here, indeed, was the first industrial school of the 
country ; and out of this institution have come many persons who have lived most 
useful and even prominent lives, despite their infirmity. Pupils are received from 
all over the state, and the institution is largely supported by state money. 

For Women many sheltering ddors are opened. As long ago as 1798, a Society 
for the Relief of Poor Widows with Small Children, was formed: it is still in 
existence with an office at 1375 Broadway. The Female Assistance Society 
(28 W. 22d St.) ; the Friends' Employment Society (meeting-house, Rutherford 
PL); the German Ladies' Society (150 W. 57th st.) ; Olivet Helping Hand (63 2d 
St.), and the Society for the Employment, etc. of Poor Women (144 E. T6th st.), 
all exist for furnishing sewing and other work to needy women, under certain 
regulations. Similar to this, but combining instruction for young women in sew- 
ing and household duties, are the House and School of Industry, 120 W. i6lh st. ; 
the Institution of Mercy, on 8ist st. near Madison av. ; the Society for Befriend- 
ing Working-girls, 356 W. 33d St.; and the Wilson Industrial School for Girls, 
127 Avenue A. Asylums for lying-in women, to furnish without charge accommo- 
dation and attendants during their confinement to respectable, indigent, uTiarried 
women, as well as gratuitous medical aid during confinement at their residences, 
exist at 139 Second av. and at Lexington av. and 68th st.— the latter an immense 
institution under Roman Catholic control, which has continuously about 1000 
infants under its care. Private rooms may be obtained there by paying for them ; 
but free care, medical attention and hoard during child-birth, are given to those 



282 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

who are unable to pay. At the St. Barnabas House, 304 Mulberry St., maintained 
by the P. E. City Mission Society, a temporary resting-place is provided for home- 
less vvonien and children, as well as for persons discharged from the hospitals 
cured, but in need of a few days' repose. Meals are given daily to destitute 
women and children. The same church supports the St. Luke's Home for (aged) 
Indigent Christian Females of that denomination, at Madison av. and 59th st., 
who pay for its privileges. Another hospice for liberated female prisoners, until 
they can take a new start, is the Hopper Home, at no Second av. At 27 N. 
Washington sq. there exists a sort of hotel for young women who are earning 
their living in respectable employments ; while in the Working Women's Pro- 
tective Union (19 Clinton Place) working girls, and other women, other than 
servant-girls, are provided with legal advice and protection against fraud and 
oppression on the part of employers, sewing-machine agents and others ; this 
society has been extremely useful to women dependent on their own exertions for 
a livelihood. The Young Women's Christian Association is described elsewhere 
(see Y. M. C. A.). The House of the Good Shepherd (foot of E. 89th St.), the 
Wetmore Home (49 Washington sq.), the P. E. House of Mercy (foot of W. 
86th St.), the Magdalen Asylum (Fifth av. and 88th St.), and the P. E. Midnight 
Mission (260 Greene St.), are refuges and places of reclamation for fallen women, 
the last-named standing in the midst of a district formerly thronged with "street- 
walkers," but now nearly cleaned of them by the advance of commerce. 

For the Young many institutions of benevolence exist in New York, the most 
widely-known of which probably is the Children's Aid Society (24 St. Mark's PI.), 
whose object it is to gather poor and ignorant children into the Industrial 
Schools, to care and provide for those in lodging-houses, and to procure homes 
for them in the rural districts. It supports the following lodging-houses: News- 
boys' Lodging-House, corner of Chambers and Duane sts. ; Girls' Lodging-House, 
27 St. Mark's pi. ; Eleventh Ward Lodging-House, A v. B, cor. 8th st. ; East 
Thirty-fifth Street Lodging-House, 314 E. 35th st. ; East Side Lodging-House and 
Sick Children's Mission, 287 East Broadway ; West Side Lodging-House, 32d st. 
and Seventh av. ; and a summer home at Bath, L. I. The Home for the Friend- 
less, under the care of the Female Guardian Society, is also widely known to 
philanthropic people throughout the country. Its ofifice is at 62 E. 29th St., and 
it cares for destitute children, widowed mothers with children and respectable 
working girls. Of a similar character are the St. Joseph's Industrial Home 
(8ist St. and Madison av.) ; the Sheltering Arms (Tenth av. and 129th st.) ; the 
Juvenile Asylum (Tenth av. and 176th st.) where juvenile delinquents and vicious 
children are ]}ut under teaching and restraint, and which is partly supported by 
the city; the St. Stephen's Home for Children (145 E. 28th st.) ; the St. Vincent 
de Paul Home for Boys (215 W. 39th st.) ; the Howard Home for Little Wan- 



METROPOLITAN BENEV0LB:NCE. . 2S3 

derers (204 5th st.) ; the House of the Holy P\imily (136 Second av.) ; and the 
Free Home for Destitute Young Girls (23 E. nth st.). St. John's Ouild (21 Uni- 
versity pi.) does a peculiar work for the poor by water-excursions for sick children 
in summer, and by a seaside nursury. The Catholic Protectory is another well- 
known semi-public institution which takes care of three classes of destitute 
children, being empowered to accept the first, and bound to receive the second 
and third : i. Children under 14 years ot age, instrusted for protection or reforma- 
tion. 2. Those between 7 and 14, committed as idle, truant, vicious, or homeless, 
by order of a police magistrate. 3. Those of like age and duly transferred by the 
Commissioners of Charities and Correction. In the Boy's Protectory, in charge 
of the " Brothers of the Christian Schools," besides a suitable education, the boys 
are taught trades. In the Girl's Protectory, in charge of the Sisters of Charity, 
sewing and other useful emijloyments are taught ; 3,303 children were cared for 
last year. 

Orphan and Half-Orphan Asylums are numerous. The Heine ws main- 
tain one at 136th St. and Tenth av. ; the Lutherans one at Mt. Vernon, N. Y. ; 
Protestant Episcopal Church, one on 49th st. between Fourth and Lexington 
avs. ; a Protestant half-orphan asylum, stands at 67 W. loth St., while the Roman 
Catholic Church maintains large asylums of this class, for boys at Fifth av. and 51st 
St., for girls at Madison av. and 51st st., and the " St. Joseph's " at Av. A and 89th 
St. The Leake and Watts Orphans' Home, and the Orphan Asylum of the City 
t)f New York, are free to all ; while the House of Refuge, on Randall's Island, is a 
reformatory, whither juvenile delinquents are commited by police magistrates. 

One of the great hindrances to working women of the poverty-burdened class in 
any great city, is the care of their infants. To relieve this Day Nurseries have 
been established where mothers may leave their babies, freely, or by paying a 
few cents, sure that they will be well-cared for, — better probably than they could 
do it themselves. One of these, in charge of Sisters of the Holy Communion, is at 
118 W. 2ist. st ; another, for Jewish mothers, is at 95 East Broadway ; a third in 
St. Barnabas House, 304 Mulberry St., among the Italian and Irish tenements; 
and a fourth back of Grace Church, in Fourth av. The last was built by Vice- 
President Levi P. Morton, in memory of a former wife. 

The Aged and Infirm are well provided for, some twenty " homes " existing 
for their shelter alone; but in most of these some payment is expected. 

Colored People benefit by three institutions in New York. One of these is 
that orphan asylum, now at Tenth av. and 143d st., which in its former location 
down-town was sacked by the mob during the draft-riots of 1863, but which is now 
in a flourishing condition, with some 250 pupils. The other institutions are the 
Colored Home for the Aged and Indigent (65th st. and First av.), and St. Phillip's 
Parish Home (127 W. 30th st.). 



284 . GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Benevolent agencies intended for special classes, exist in great numbers, and 
comprise funds, benevolent associations and relief societies, for actors, artists, 
clergymen and their widows, soldiers and sailors and their widows and children, 
volunteer firemen, immigrants, discharged convicts, and a long list of those under 
the superintendence of some church neighborhood organization, society or club, 
the benefits of which are restricted to members or a limited circle. 

Humane Societies. — Belonging here are a group of agencies usually spoken of 
as the " prevention " or " humane " societies. The Society for the Suppression of 
Vice is managed by Mr. Anthony Comstock, and directs its attention mainly to the 
detection and seizure of obscene literature and the punishment of offenders under 
the laws against gambling ; office 150 Nassau st. 

The Society for the Suppression of Crime, is presided over by the Rev. How- 
ard Crosby, and has a very similar scope. 

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (100 E. 23d St.), was the 
first of its kind in the world ; and since its organization, in 1875, 'Si^So cases have 
been prosecuted successfully; more than 25,000 children have been rescued, and 
thousands clothed, fed and cared for in the society's reception rooms. General law 
officers are required to assist. The president is Elbridge T. Gerry. 

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, founded by the 
late Henry Bergh, is widely known, for it has branches in all principal cities in 
the United States and Canada. Its headquarters are at Fourth av. and 22d St., 
where a museum of frightful objects used in the torture of animals, or in brutal 
treatment of them, is open to visitors. There is an agency in Brooklyn. The 
object of the Society is the enforcement of the laws relating to the protection of 
and to prevent cruelty to animals in all parts of the United States. 

Its agents can lawfully make arrests in the State of New York, and the police 
force is required to assist such agents whenever necessary, and also to arrest offen- 
ders against the laws relating to the treatment of animals whenever asked to do 
so by citizens willing to make complaint before a police justice. In cases of this 
last description, the Society should be informed of the arrest, so that it may look 
after the prosecution of the offender. Nearlv 15,000 cases have been prosecuted 
since its organization, and over 3,000 reported cases of cruelty were attended to 
last year, while 3,750 disabled animals (mostly horses) were humanely destroyed, 
and 1800 were temporarily susjDended from work, and allowed to recover. 

The managers and members include many leading citizens, and the Society is 
well supported both financially and morally. It has a staff of officers, uniformed 
much like policemen, who patrol the streets and have power to make arrests, and 
whose badge is a large silver shield stamped with the seal and name of the 
Society. It also maintains a number of ambulances in which disabled horses are 
removed from any place where they may fall to a place where they may be 
cured. 



XIX. 




THE MARKETS OF THE CITY. 



OTHING would prove more interesting to a large class 

o£ visitors to New York, than an early morning stroll 

through Washington, Gansevoort, Fulton, or some 

other of the dozen markets of the metropolis. The 

public market is an ancient institution in New York, 

and one often alluded to by the writers of the early 

period. According to Valentine : 

'■ A notable feature of the city at the era now referred to [about 1750,] was the 
number of public markets in the city. One was situated at the foot of Broad St.; 
another at Coenties Corner, now Coenties Slip (a name derived from the familiar 
and traditionary appellation of an owner of property on the 'corner.' This was 
Mr. Conroet Ten Eyck, one of the early inhabitants, familiarly called ' Coentje.' 
. . . Another market was at the foot of Wall st. ; another at Burgher's Path, or 
present Old Slip; another, commonly known as the Fly Market, a name derived 
from the original name of its locality — the Valley, Vly or Fly — was at the foot of 
Maiden Lane. In short, at the foot of each street, along the East River shore, was 
a market. In the centre of the city, also, were several market places. Broad st., 
from Wall st. to Exchange PL, was a public stand for country wagons. A market 
was also erected in the center of Broadway, opposite the present Liberty st." 

The direction of markets, at present, is in the hands of an officer of the city, 
whose authority and functions are rather vague, called Superintendent of Markets. 
The stipulated spaces, or " stalls," in each market are rented, and occupailts must 
conform to published regulations. New buildings have been constructed within a 
few years for Washington and Fulton, as well as several of the minor markets; 
but in no case — and especially at Washington and West Washington markets — 
are these sufficient to hold the business, which spreads more or less over the adja- 
cent streets, yet comes to a certain extent under the Superintendent's supervision 
and control. A regular system of inspection of meats and vegetables is main- 
tained, and many frauds and abuses have been corrected that had grown up un- 



286 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

checked until twenty years or so ago; but this is carried on by the Board of 
Health, co-operating with the Market Superintendent. 

Fulton Market is probably the one best known by name outside of the city. 
It is at the foot of Fulton st., next to Fulton Ferry, and occupies a whole block. 
Twenty years ago, the original old wooden shed still covered what one might easily 
believe were the original old marketmen, and this spot was one of those which no 
visitor was permitted by his friends to escape seeing. Under the shadowy arcades 
of the interior, meats, green vegetables, and particularly fish, oysters and clams, were 
so crowded together, that it was a matter of perpetual wonder that each stallman 
knew his own limits, or how to get out and in his choked doorway. Outside, the 
scene was still more curious. The sidewalk was encumbered by the stands of trinket- 
sellers, fruit and tobacco venders, and by cupboard-like restaurants, that leaned 
against the building, and encroached more and more upon the pathway; while all 
along the curbing, built across the gutters, were queer little boxes, in which oysters, 
coffee and cakes, and other simple refreshments were cooked and served to cus- 
tomers. To insinuate oneself sideways into one of these little huts, and have set 
before you a bowl of stewed oysters, just off the stove, while the aproned man 
who served you stood with arms akimbo and retailed the gossip of the moment 
with hearty good will and a genial admixture of slang, was a Bohemian experience 
which few old New Yorkers have not indulged. At night, the whole place was 
ablaze with gas and those flaring naptha lamps which cast such a weird, yellow 
light (together with whiffs of oil-smoke) wherever their rays fall, and was crowded 
with good-naturedly noisy, and reasonably hungry theatre-goers, getting a mid- 
night luncheon before crossing to Brooklyn. 

Now these relics of an ancient time have been swept away, and a handsome new 
structure, of brick and iron, well lighted and cleanly, has replaced the old-time 
market. Nevertheless, one still gets oysters and clams as good as, perhaps better 
than, those sold anywhere else ; but they are eaten in elegant rooms, and are 
unseasoned by the rude and romantic surroundings that lent gusto to the stews 
and fries on the curbstone, lang syne. Fulton Market remains the principal place 
for the fish trade, which is carried on in a building on the water front, opposite, 
where the smacks land their cargoes, and which is properly distinguished as Ful- 
ton Fish Market. 

Within the market itself are several prominent fish dealers, most prominent of 
whom is Eugene Blackford, one of the Fish Commissioners of the State, and a 
scientific student of the creatures he handles. At his stalls are displayed,- early in 
April of each-year, exhibits of living fish and sea-life of all sorts, and others jDre- 
seryed in ice, which form one of the regular events of the season, and overhead is 
maintained a laboratory for the study of practical ichthyology and its concomitants, 
which has done good service, not only to science, but to the practical efforts that 
are being made by the government to preserve against waste and extermination 



THE MARKETS OF THE CITY. 2S7 

the resources of these waters in 'shellfish and food-fishes. Visitors interested in 
the subject are always welcome at Mr. Blackford's. 

Washington Market is far more interesting nowadays than any other in the 
city. Though the building itself covers only a block (on West St., between P'ulton 
and Vesey), the business long ago overspread these bounds, and now, with more 
or less distinctness, occupies all the neighboring squares. Vesey, Barclay and 
Fulton sts., in particular, are protected for several blocks by wooden awnings, 
under which there runs, in front of the stores, a continuous line of booths, where 
fruit, vegetables, groceries, hardware, crockery, second-hand clothing, boots, 
shoes, hats, toys, and almost every imaginable article of cheap traffic is disposed 
of by men and women vendors, whose voluble rivalry can only be compared to the 
monkey and parrot house at Central Park, ten times magnified. Washington st., 
and the other immediate purlieus, are like this or even worse in noise and crowd- 
ing, all the way from Cortlandt st. to Park Place, where the wholesale and com- 
mission merchants in foreign fruits display their tempting cargoes, and the foul air 
of the dirty streets is made redolent of berries, apples, peaches, oranges, and, at 
the holiday season, of forests of spruce and pine to be sold for Christmas decora- 
tion. The market itself is largely devoted to meat, sold both at wholesale and 
retail. On a Saturday night the scene is most entertaining. 

On the river side of West st., opposite the market proper, there used to be a 
collection of wooden shanties, arranged along narrow streets, like a Cairene bazar, 
in which an enormous business in fresh meat, oysters and country fruits bv whole- 
sale was done. This was called West Washington ATarket, and was very pictur- 
esque. But it was irregular and finally became unmanageable, whereupon the 
city cleared it all out, made regular steamboat landings there, and transferred it, 
under the same name, to a space at the foot of W. 12th st. 

" Here " says a recent observer, " are the termini of scores of inland transpor- 
tation lines and the landings of hundreds of vessels engaged in the foreign and 
domestic fruit and produce trade. The name may also be said to apply to the 
streets in the neighborhood, which are filled with the stores and offices of the pro- 
duce and provision commission merchants. In the spring the Bermuda Islands and 
the extreme South send all their early fruits and vegetables there; then comes 
the berrv crop ; that is followed by the peach crop, and that by potatoes and other 
late vegetables for winter use. An idea of the extent of this business may be 
obtained from the fact that from t;o,ooo to 100,000 baskets of peaches arrive at the 
market daily during the season, whence a large portion of them are re-shipped to 
the non-peach-growing regions north and west.'' 

The Gansevoort Market Wagon Stand is another outgrowth of Washington 
Market. It is an ancient custom that the " truck " gardeners and farmers within 
driving distance, but particularly those who live on Long Island, shall come to the 
city every night (but more especially on Mondays, Wednesdays and Frida^rs) with 
loads of fresh produce, which is sold from the wagon, not only to dealers but tQ 



288 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

individual customers. These large and peculiarly constructed wagons, heaped 
high with green stuff over which a canvas cover is drawn, may be encountered 
on the ferries evenings, and their drivers try to reach the market long before 
midnight. Having secured their places, the horses are unhitched and tied to the 
feed-box, or sent to a stable, and the driver stretches himself on top of his load 
for a nap until daybreak, when business begins. The accumulation of these 
wagons in the streets about Washington Market, where they formerly congregated, 
so blocked the narrow streets, already choked with traffic, that the city arranged 
a special stand for them, a few years ago, on the site of old Fort Gansevoort, at 
the foot of Little West 12th st. The space of a block is laid out in ten streets, 
well lighted and paved, with foot-walks against which the wagons are backed up 
in long parallel rows. Those who remember the old French market of Quebec 
will understand this arrangement, but will not find the solemn picturesqueness of 
Quebec in its metropolitan imitation. Five hundred wagons may stand there, and 
as many more along adjacent curbings. It is opposite West Washington Market ; 
and the two together are well worth a visit, but this should be made in the early 
morning, since here, as at other markets, all the hurry of business is over long 
before noon, except on Saturday night. 

The Sixth and Ninth Avenue lines of elevated cars go near to Washington 
Market (Park Place station) ; and horse-cars to Christopher or W. 14th st. ferries 
reach the neighborhood of Gansevoort and W. Washington ^Market. 

Catherine Market is one of the oldest in the city and half a century ago was of 
far more importance, and apparently much more picturesque than at present. That 
was the great oyster, clam and fish market of town ; and abounded in small huck- 
sters. In Thomas DeVoe's " Market Assistant," which is really a history of the 
markets of the city, many interesting details and traditions of this and the others 
may be found. Essex tlwA Jefferson markets are chiefly known by the police-courts 
and prisons which occupy rooms in the same, or in attached buildings. The latter 
has a rather fine new building of brick, with terra-cotta trimmings, surmounted by 
the lofty walls and clock-tower of the adjoining i>rison, which is close beside the 
8th St. station of the Sixth Av. El. Ry. Center Market is a dilapidated affair, dis- 
tinguished as the best place to buy flowers and living house-plants, whicb in spring 
make the dull old building gay and sweet with their colors and perfume. The prin- 
cipal wholesale flower market is the Clinton at the foot of Canal St., N. R., where 
the wagons of the dealers are drawn up at daylight, and trade goes on briskly for 
several hours, in the midst of a temporary verdure to which that grim locality is 
otherwise unaccustomed; but it is probable that a flower-market will be estab- 
lished for a few hours each morning in the plaza of Union sq. It is to be hoped 
that this proposition may be carried out, 



Hudson River # Daylight 




THE PALACE IRON STEAMERS 

"NEW YORK" AND "ALBANY" 

OF THE 

Ht_idson River IDsiy Line, 

Leave New York Daily, Except Sunday, from Desbrosses St. Pier, 
8.40 a. m.; Twenty-second St. Pier, N. R., 9.00 a. m. 



The Favorite Tourist Route to the 

Catskill Mountains, Saratoga and the North, 
Niagara Falls and the West, 

in PPRECIATIXG the demand of the better class of tourists foi- coinfurt 
ffSl ^■ntl kixury, the inanagenient of the Day Line have ]»Ttected their 
service in every manner possible, keeping^ it fully abreast of tlie times. 
The elegant steamers are as famous as is the inajcstir river on which 
they run. Built of iron, of great speed and superii appointments, they 
are the finest of their class afloat. No freight of any desi ription is carried, 
the steamers being designed exclusively for the passi'iitjiT sei-vice. Richly 
furnished private parlors, giving absolute seilusiou and inivacy to small 
parties or families, are provided, and liandsonu'ly appoiutiMl dining rooms, 
with superior service, are on the main deck, affording an uninterrupted 
view of the magnificent scenery for which the Hudson is renowned. 



attractive daily excursions to 

West Point, newburgh, and poughkeepsie. 



C. T. VAN SANTVOORD, 

GeniTal Mnnafjer. 



F. B. HIBBARP, 

Gfueral PassfiiKfi" Agent. 



DESBROSSES STREET PIER, NEW YORK. 



XX. 




BROOKLYN. 



VISIT to Brooklyn is among the duties, and will 
prove itself to the pleasure, of anyone who wishes 
to see New York, for it is to all intents and pur- 
poses an integral part of the metropolis, though 
quite autonomous in government and possessed 
of characteristics wholly its own. Its population 
is now about 900,000, and is increasing rapidly ; 
and 100,000 of these citizens come to New York every day, on the average. There 
are four general divisions of the city, popularly, though not officially, called The 
Heights; South Brooklyn, the Hill, and the Eastern District, or Williamsburg. 
Certain principal features should be attended to by the sight-seer, among which are 
the following : 77/^? Heights; Prospect Park; Greenwood and other cemeteries ; 
The Navy Yard ; Plymouth Church; A four of the Elevated Railroads. 

The main thoroughfare of Brooklyn is Fulton St., which is six miles in length, 
and has a generally eastward course. It begins directly o])posite Fulton st. in 
New York, and was among the first to be laid out when settlement began on that 
side of East River. Its present name was given in honor of Fulton, the inventor 
of the steamboat, and the honor is emphasized by the enactment that no street 
shall cross it, or if a street does cross it, that the name shall not be same on one 
side as it is on the other; a distinction maintained to this day as to that part below 
the City Hall, which was the original Fulton street. The oldest and busiest of the 
ferries from New York (Fulton) lands its passengers at the foot of P'ulton st. ; and 
the Bridge terminus is almost upon it, some distance back from the shore. The 
Kings County Elevated Railway and many horsecar lines occupy the lower, more 
busy part of the street. 

Two thirds of a mile above the ferry, where a number of streets intersect and 
branch away from Fulton, stand the Court House, where the celebrated " Beecher 
trial " took place, the Hall of Records, ne.xt to it, the Municipal Building (con- 



290 



GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 



taining the departmental offices of the local government) and, prominently in front 
of all, the City Hall. These buildings are costly and imposing. They contain 
several Federal ofiSces at present, and the Post Office is in hired quarters near by; 
but an immense, and handsome Federal Building is under construction not far 
from the Bridge terminus. Near the City Hall are many large business structures 




THE CITY HALL OF BROOKLYN. 



— office buildings, banks, newspapers, and theatres ; the finest Y. M C. A. house 
in the country, and some of the largest shops in Brooklyn. 

If now the visitor will walk clown Montague st. toward the river, he will soon 
find himself in that part of Brooklyn called 

The Heights. — Here the land comes \o the water in a steep bluff nearly a 
hundred feet high at the foot of Montague St., where the residences of many of the 
oldest and most prominent Brooklyn families stand on what is known as Columbia 
Heights, overlooking from their windows a grand j^anorama of the harbor, the 
lower part of East River and the Battery and Wall st. regions of New York 
City. Along the base of the bluffs are lines of wharves and spacious warehouses, 



BROOKL YN. 291 

where ships are moored and foreign commerce comes and goes , and there is only 
room for a narrow street with only warehouses, mostly bonded, those on the land 
side being bmlt in excavations under the back gardens of the dwellings on Colum- 
bia Heights ; but the highland above is covered with stately homes, hotels, 
churches, clubs and institutions of learning. The term " The Heights," however, 
is made to reach back as far as the City Hall and hence includes the public build- 
ings, the V. M. C. A., the Academy of Music, and several theatres. Next to the 
capacious Academy of Music, and communicating with it by large doors, is the 
ornamental structure of the Art Association, where pictures are exhibited at 
stated intervals, by artists and by wealthy connoisseurs. Opposite these buildings 
stands the Brooklyn Library, whose admirable reading-rooms, elaborate catalogue, 
excellent collection of books for reference and 100,000 volumes for circulation, 
are matters for just pride to the citizens, and ought to interest strangers. The 
Brooklyn Institute, which has long sustained a free library and is now founding an 
Art Museum liberally planned, is close by. Closely cognate is the purpose of the 
Long Island Historical Society, which possesses a large and handsome edifice, with 
terra cotta and stone trimmings, at the corner of Clinton and Pierrepont sts., a 
library of over So, 000 volumes and pamphlets, and a museum of historical and 
curious objects. The Philharmonic Society and the Seidl Society — the former 
over thirty years old — though they have no buildings, are among the notable influ- 
ences of the city. Clinton st. was for many years the Fifth Avenue of Brooklyn, 
and no part of the city is more fashionable than the blocks along Montague, Pierre- 
pont, Remsen, and some other streets leading from Clinton to the river-bluff. 
There is not the shade and picturesque beauty here, however, which belong to 
some other districts, that "on the hill," for example. Here on the Heights are the 
three — and the only three — first-class hotels of Brooklyn, the Mansion House, the 
Pierrepont House, and the new and lofty St. George Hotel,' and here have lately 
been erected some tall and elegant apartment houses, the principal ones being the 
Arlington, Berkelev, Grosvenor, Montague, Columbia, West End, Roebling and 
Marguerite, the latter a massive pile of ten stories, overlooking the Bay. Here, 
too, are the leading clubs, — the Ihooklyn, Hamilton, Excelsior and Crescent Ath- 
letic Club, just reinforced by the Jefferson, a new Democratic club, while on "The 
Hill" the new Republican Union League Club, the Lincoln and the Montauk have 
been added, with fine houses, to the older Oxford. 

It was the number of very fine houses of worship, not to speak of many smaller 
ones, in this conspicuous part of town, which gave to Brooklyn the name " City of 
Churches." Plymouth Church, made forever famous by the pastorate of Henry 
Ward Beecher, is here, and is now presided over by Dr." Lyman Abbot, editor of 
Tlie Cliristiaii Union. 

Plymouth Church is in Orange st., between Hicks and Hetiry. It is within easy 



292 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

walking distance of either Fulton Ferry or the Bridge, and " anybody can direct 
you." The edifice is merely a great brick " barn," and has no ornamentation 
within, inconsistent with its outward simplicity. It was built in 1847, and its pul- 
])it was occui)ied 40 years by Mr. Beecher, until his death in 1887. Its most prom- 
inent members dwell near by, but a large part of the regular congregation gathers 
from remote quarters of the city, while a throng of strangers from all parts of the 
country is to be seen within its doors each Sunday. In Mr. Beecher's time it was 
often impossible to seat the number of outsiders who came; the congregation is 
still an exceptionally large one and growing. The Bethel and Mayflower missions 
of this church are of magnitude and importance and its general city mission work is 
rapidly extending, $10,000 being raised annually for this work. Mr. Beecher lived 
and died not far away, at No. 124 Hicks St., corner of Clark. 

Another famous Congregational church on the Heights is Dr. Richard S. 
Storrs's Church of the Pilgrims, at the corner of Henry and Remsen sts. Next to 
the Historical Society's building is Holy Trinity, the leading Episcopal Church of 
Brooklyn, under the pastorate of the Rev. Dr. C. H. Hall ; while St. Ann's (Dr, 
Alsop's) is only a block or two distant. These are only a few of the more widely 
known churches on the Heights ; and in this sanctifie'd locality are the homes of 
such well-known men as Secretary-of-the-Navy Tracy (on Montague st.), 
A. A. Low ; John Claflin, the dry-goods merchant ; the Mallorys, of steamship 
fame; Mr. S. V. White — or " Deacon " White, as he is called in Wall st; the 
Roeblings, engineers of the Brooklyn Bridge ; and many others of great wealth and 
influence. 

Prospect Park. — This noble park, which lies upon the high ground in the rear 
of the city, overlooking the populous wards of South Brooklyn and the New York 
harbor on one side, and the Atlantic shore toward Coney Island on the other, is 
nearly as large as Central Park, and is by many people considered more enjoyable, if 
not more beautiful. It is reached by the horse-cars of the following lines: From 
Fulton Ferry or the Bridge entrance, — Flatbush av. line (the most direct), Adams 
and Boerum Place line, and Franklin av. line ; from Hamilton (south) Ferry, the 
Hamilton av. and Prospect Park line ; and from Broadway (Williamsburgh) ferry, 
the Nostrand av. line. The distance is about 21^ miles, more or less, from any of 
the ferries, but the route from Fulton Ferry or the Bridge is the most interesting. 
None of the elevated railroads go very near to the park. 

Prospect Park contains nearly 550 acres, of which there are in woodland, no 
acres; in lakes and water courses, 77 acres; in meadows, 70 acres ; in plantations, 
259! acres ; in drives, 8f miles ; bridle roads, 3jL miles ; walks, lof miles. There 
is an acreage of .90 per 1000 inhabitants as against 4.29 in New York. Work was 
begun there in 1S66, so that it is eight years younger than Central Park, but, owing 
to the retention of old woodlands, the i^resence of good soil, and excellent early 
management, it has a mkture and strikingly rural appearance. The land cost 
$5,000,000, and as much more has been expended on improvements. Real estate in 
the vicinity has increased in value $33,000,000. In connection with the park, a 
series of boulevards, 200 ft. wide, have been designed for distant points. One is 



BROOKL YN. 293 

to cross the East River at IJlackwell's Island, and connect with the Central Park 
or the Eastern Boulevard. 

The entrance is dignified, presenting to the eye a large, open space, with planta- 
tions of trees and shrubs, both exotic and native. The drives are skilfully arranged, 
so as to give glimpses of the broad reaches of green sward, which are the chief 
charm of this park. None other in the world has a finer stretch of meadow sur- 
face, and this is made effective by the borders of natural wood. Here may be 
seen some of the finest Japanese maples in the country, many rare coniferous 
trees, and masses of rhododendrons and other broad-leaved evergreens. In cer- 
tain parts, especially near the main entrance, showy flower gardens are cultivated. 
Restaurants and shelters will be found in the park, near the lake. 

It is the great delight of this park that one may run about on the grass almost 
everywhere, or wander through the thickets at will. There is a winding lake 
with boats, a shady ramble, etc., etc. P'rom Lookout Hill, a magnificent view 
is to be gained, reaching from the Atlantic horizon to the Palisades and the Orange 
Hills; and on certain lawns, especially on Saturday afternoons, hundreds of 
brightly apparelled young people may be seen playing tennis, or croquet, or prac- 
tising at archery, or otherwise actively amusing themselves, while thousands of 
others lounge upon the grassy slopes in friendly groups and look on, or join the 
crowds that surround the music-stand by the lake. A visit to Prospect Park 
should be among the items not to be left out of a trip to the metropolis in summer. 
Near the entrance to the park is the site for the statue of Henry Ward Beecher, 
erected by public subscription. 

Greenwood Cemetery. — This famous city of the dead covers a square mile of 
the highlands that lie back of South Brooklyn and overlook New York Harbor. 
It is zyi miles from the Bridge, and is reached most directly by the Fifth Avenue 
line of the Brooklyn El. Ry. which has a station at its principal (the northern) 
entrance ; and also by several lines of horsecars from Fulton, Hamilton and 
South Ferries. Thirty minutes is the length of the trip from New York via the 
Bridge and Elevated road. Carriages will be found at the entrance which make 
the tour of the cemetery, and the driver explains what are generally regarded as 
the most interesting things as he goes along. The charge for the whole ride is 
25 cents. This cemetery was opened in 1842, and nearly 30,000 lots have been 
sold and about 250,000 burials have been made since that time, including the most 
distinguished citizens of New York and Brooklyn who have passed away during 
the last half-century. The control is not vested in a private corporation, but in a 
board of public trustees, who now have at its disposal, for its maintenance, a fund 
approaching $1,000,000. These large resources, and the wealth of many of the 
families represented upon the rolls of its dead, have permitted a vast expenditure 
in beautifying both the public and private parts : and there is no burying ground 



294 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

in the country which compares with Greenwood for the cost and elaborateness of 
its mortuary monuments or the care taken of it as a whole. The stone-bedded, 
tile-drained roads alone measure 25 miles in length. 

The Northern is the principal one of the several entrances, and its grand gothic 
gateway of brown stone, elaborately carved, holds the offices of the administration 
and a visitors' room. Waiting rooms will also be found at the other entrances, 
each of which is furnished with toilet rooms, etc. : and near the center of the cem- 
etery — which covers almost a square mile (474 acres) is " The Shelter House" 
(at the intersection of Locust and Southwoodavs.), designed for the shelter and con- 
venience of visitors who chance to be remote from the various entrances and need 
the conveniences which it affords. From Plateau Hill, and from many other 
points, far reaching and beautiful views of the harbor, the Jersey shore and New 
York and Brooklyn cities may be obtained ; and a walk of half a mile from the 
eastern entrance will take one to Prospect Park. 

Among the thousands of mortuary monuments, some are worthy of special note. 
Among them are : 

The monument and bronze bust to Horace Greeley, on Locust Hill, near Oak 
av., which was erected by the printers of the country. 

The triangular block covering the remains of Piof. S. F. ]>. Morse, the inventor 
of the electric telegraph; this stands on High-wood Hill, is surrounded by many 
costly monuments, and overlooks the Clinton monument. 

The Soldiers' Monument, which is tall and costly, but lacks impressiveness ; 
it stands on the plateau of Battle Hill, whence a broad view is to be gained. 

The Theatre Fire Monument, opposite the main entrance, underneath which, in 
a common grave, rest the unrecognized and unclaimed bodies of those who 
perished in the burning of the Brooklyn theatre, in Dec, 1876, when over 300 peo- 
ple lost their lives. 

The Firemen's Monument, surmounted by the figure of a fireman, holding a 
child in his arms. ■ It was erected by the old volunteer fire department of New- 
York City, whose chief engineer, Harry Howard, has jilaced elsewhere in the 
grounds a statue in memory of his foster mother, showing her as adopting him 
when saved from a burning building. 

Many of the monuments take the form of Greek or Gothic memorial cha])els. 
one of the most conspicuous and beautiful of which is that to Miss Mary M. 
Dauser, a philanthropic woman, at the intersection of Fir and Vine avs. 

Another temple worth special attention is that of A. S. Scribner, at Cypress ami 
Vine avs., which was made in Italy and contains the figure of Hope. 

The monument to commemorate John Matthews, at the southwesterly end of 
Valley Water, is in the form of a richlv carved canoj^y and spire above a sculp- 
tured sarcophagus, upon tlie top of which lies a full-length, marble figure of the 
dead man. On the tablet under the canopv is a veiled female figure seated in a 
chair and typifving grief. The artist was Carl Miiller and the cost $30,000. 

The Pilot's Monument, erected by the pilots of New York Harbor to a hero 
among them ; and the " Sea Captain's statue " to (Capt. John Correja), holding the 
actual sextant he was accustomed to use, will interest thosQ fond of the sea. 

Other fine and costly carvings in Italian marble, are seen in the monument 



BROOKL YN. 295 

lo the Brown Brothers, the New York bankers, in the emblematic group standing 
in the lot of the elder James Gordon Bennett, founder of the New York Herald, 
and in the famous Charlotte Cauda monument, at Fern and Greenbough 
avs. The colossal bronze statue of Governor De Witt Clinton, in Bay wood Dell, 
should not be missed by the visitor to Greenwood, who will come away feeling 
that perhaps it is as satisfactory as anything of the more pretentious sort in the 
whole cemetery. 

Remarks on other Cemeteries. — Burial of the dead within New York city is 
no longer permitted. The sites of most of the ancient cemeteries are now com- 
pletely obliterated, and covered by buildings or parks ; but a few picturesque rem- 
nants are left, one of which is caught sight of from the Third Av. El. Ry. just 
below Chatham sq. This was a Jewish burying-ground, and is the one alluded to 
by Joseph Jefferson in his " Autobiography." The death-rate in New York city 
is about 26)^ to the 1000 ; and the deaths annually number about 40,500. A death 
must be satisfactorily reported to the Health Board by the attending physician 
and a burial permit issued, or else the case is investigated by the district coroner. 
All these formalities and every other detail will be attended to by any reputable 
undertaker, who, under instructions from friends, would take complete charge of 
the funeral of a stranger dying in the city. 

None of the cemeteries will repay a visit by the ordinary sight-seer, except 
Greenwood and Trinity churchyard (see Trinity Church). They are mainly on 
Long Island, and the approaches, as a rule, are unattractive. Trinity Parish 
has a cemetery on the North River bank between 153d and 155th st. On the 
western shore of the harbor, south of Jersey City, is the New York Bay Cemetery, 
used principally by Jersey City and Hoboken. Union Field, Salem Field and 
Machpelah (Jewish), Washington, Maple Grove and The Cemetery of the Ever- 
i^reeiis, are in the eastern suburbs of lirooklyn, but none contain anything likely to 
interest the stranger much, except the Sailor's Monument in the last named. 
Cahary Cemetery, two miles east of Hunters' Point, is the great Roman Catholic 
burial-ground of New York and the surrounding cities. The trains of the Long 
Island R. R. from Hunter's Point, and the Broadway horse-cars,- Williamsburgh, 
run to it. Cypress Hills is a beautiful burial-ground in the eastern limits of Brook- 
lyn. It covers 400 acres, broken by hills and dales, embosoming little lakes, and 
200 acres are already laid out. Here is New York's National Cemetery for sol- 
diers killed in the late war, which covers a large ]5lat lying upon a hill-top, and 
is under a distinct management. A fine monument has been erected in the center 
of the plat, and the graves are sim])lv^ btlt tastefully adorned. This cemetery is 
accessible by several Imes of Brooklyn horse-cars, by the Fulton st. and Broadway 
elevated railways, and by steam-cars from the Atlantic av. station. Woodlawn is 
an elegant and aristocratic city of the dead, at Woodlawn .Station, on the Harlem 
R. R. (hourly trains from Grand Central Dejjot) ; and is wtli seen from the cars of 
the New Haven road. It is on high ground in the extreme northern margin of the 
city, has an area of 396 acres, and has become the burial-ground of many wealthy 
New York families who have erected handsome monuments to their dead, among 
whom are Ex-Mayor Havemeyer, Horace F. Clark, James Law, and Judge Whit- 
ing. It is entirely undenominational. 

Cremation has not made much progress in New York, yet two crematories are 
kept busy. 

The Navy Yard. — Tourists from the interior of the country are sure to be 
desirous of inspecting the U. S. Navy Yard in Brooklyn. It is on the Wallabout 



296 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

— a basin or indentation from the East River, where in Revolutionary days was 
moored the dreadful y^rj^^, worst of the prison hulks. It is within comfortable 
walking distance of the landings of Fulton or Catherine ferries, or of the Bridge: 
but horsecars run thither at frequent intervals, if you wish to ride. 

This is the foremost naval station in the country, and its brick wall embraces a 
space of 45 acres in the yard proper, while 100 more acres closely adjacent belong 
to the establishment. The space within the walls is largely occupied by huge 
store-houses and the offices of the superintendents of various branches of the 
service. The United States Naval Lyceum, founded by officers of the navy in 
1833, is here ; it has a fine library and a large collection of curiosities, together 
with valuable geological and mineralogical cabinets. 

Near the water are the enormous sheds under which the building of ships goes 
on, and the shops where the iron work is prepared. The only vessel of impor- 
tance under construction at present is the Maine ; but, excepting a few yards of 
her prow, nothing can be seen of her or the method of her construction, as no 
spectators are admitted to the shops or the shed that covers her. Two or three 
monitors, and one or more ships of war in commission, usually lie in the basin, or 
are moored at the wharves, and permission can be gained in most cases to go on 
board of them. The enormous cranes used to handle heavy ordnance, will excite 
admiration ; and visitors will look with interest upon the magnificent, new graving 
dock, which will carry a ship 300 ft. long. It is built of granite, and the main 
chamber is 286 ft. long by 35 ft. wide at the bottom, and 307 ft. long by 98 ft. wide 
at the top, with a depth of 36 ft. The enormous steam pumps connected with the 
dock can empty it of water in four and a-half hours. This dock cost considerably 
over $2,000,000. Another and larger dock is constructing. It will be 465 ft. 
long, and 2rowide, and will accommodate the largest vessels. The large, pillared 
structure seen in the distance, as one looks eastward, is the U. S. Marine Hospital, 
where 500 patients can be taken care of. The grounds surrounding it are large 
and handsome. ^ 

Several years ago the bones of the men who died on board the British prison- 
ships moored near the site of the Navy Yard during the Revolutionary War, were 
removed from the ])lace where they were buried in the lower part of Brooklyn, 
and entombed at Fort Greene. In 18S8, at the request of the Society of Old 
Brooklynites, the Legislature of this State passed a resolution requesting Congress 
to make an appropriation for the erection of a suitable monument in honor of 
these men, and a bill providing .$100,000 for the proposed monument has been laid 
before the present Congress. Between 11,000 and 12,000 are believed to have 
perished in the wretched old hulks which the British used as substitutes for 
prisons, and died, too, in the most miserable way it is possible to conceive. Tlieir 
bodies were wrapped in blankets and i:)uried in shallow graves dug in the sand, 
where they remained, except in so far as they became uncovered and scattered by 
the action of the elements, until 1808, when the Tammany Society caused them to 
be collected and buried with impressive ceremonies. In the tomb thus provided, 



BROOKLYN. 297 

they remained until, as has been said, they were transferred to Fort Greene. The 
Federal Government has thus far done nothing to honor the memory of these 
soldiers who did not even enjoy the privilege of dying on the battle-field. The 
monument, if erected, will stand in a most commanding position, overlooking the 
spot where \\\t Jersey and the other prison-ships lay while doing their deadly work. 

The Docks. —The water-front of Brooklyn, especially toward the southern end 
of the city, is bordered by spacious docks and warehouses, wherein is done by far 
the larger part of all the warehousing at the port of New York. The nearest and 
greatest of these docks is the Atlantic, which is immediately opposite Governor's 
Island and can be reached by horse-cars from any ferry. 

The l:)asin is a parallelogram in form, has an area of 40 acres, and a depth of 25 
It. It will accommodate the largest vessels; 500 vessels can occupy it at one 
time ; and 400 canal boats, besides many other vessels have floated upon it at 
once. The pier-line on Buttermilk Clhannel is 3,000 ft. long, and the total wharfage 
is about two miles. Surrounding the basin on all sides, exce]>ting an entrance 200 
ft. wide for vessels, are substantial brick and granite warehouses from two to five 
stories high, and covering an area of 20 acres. Here are nine steam grain-eleva-- 
tors, the largest capable of raising 3,000 bushels per hour. 

South of the Atlantic Docks, on Gowanus Bay — the earliest part of that shore 
settled, and once famous for its fine shellfish, — are the Erie and Brooklyn basins, 
of similar design and construction ; and still farther south two large dry docks. 
All these are very well seen from the decks of the ferry-boats to South Brooklyn, 
and are full of picturesque interest. 

Tours in Brooklyn. — The shore-front, the Heights, the business center of the 
city, and Prospect Park and Greenwood, overlooking the whole, have already 
passed under our observation. Persons going to " Coney Island " by one route 
and returning by another, as a stranger seeking to get as much as possible out of 
one trip would be likely to do, will get various gbmpses of the outskirts of the 
city; and thushfe has fairly covered it. A pleasant ride, nevertheless, is to take 
the cars of the Kings County Elevated Railroad at Fulton Ferry or the Bridge 
and run out to East New York. The line goes out Fulton st. and carries you 
through one of the prettiest and most respectable parts of the city to the suburb of 
East New York. Here it crosses the tracks of the Long Island company's rail- 
way to Manhattan Beach and its Rapid Transit line on Atlantic avenue ; and here, 
at the distance of a block, the Union Elevated R. R. may be re-taken homeward. 
This goes through a somewhat different, but no less interesting part of town, and 
connects with the Fifth av. line to Greenwood, and with the Myrtle av. line to the 
Eastern District (Williamsburgh), without any additional charge. In Williams- 
burgh, an elevated railway runs out to East New York along Broadway, the prin- 
cipal thoroughfare of that part of the city, but its route has few attractions. 



XXT. 
SEASIDE RESORTS. 



^^^t- 



' ^,^ NE chapter can hardly contain more than a 
mere suggestion as to the accessibility and 
distinctive characteristics of the seashore 
resorts near New York. These 
fall into two classes, namely : 
the coast of Long Island and 
the coast of New Jersey. The 
principal bathing and fishing 
points in each of these divisions 
have been resorted to in sum- 
mer by people from New York 
and neighboring cities, ever since civiliza- 
tion began here. 

Hotels of every kind, from the finest and 
most expensive to those of the cheapest and most limited accommodations, open 
their doors to the public, supplemented by boarding-houses in equal variety. 
Some places are designed only for those who go to stay some days or weeks, 
others are favorites with excursionists, or the citizen who runs away from town 
only for the day, or over night. At the latter are a great number of eating and 
drinking rooms, and catch-penny amusements, and an active, ephemeral life which 
gives them a holiday appearance quite distinct from the staid and homelike atmos- 
phere of the other class. 

Extra trains for the seaside traffic are run at frequent intervals and at low rates 
of fare in summer, over all the railroads leading to the beaches; and a great fleet 
of steamboats plies back and forth. In addition to these, almost daily excursions 
are run under the auspices of some Sunday-school, or charitable or private organ- 




SEASIDE RESORTS. 



299 



izatioii, which are more or less open to the public, and offer the amusements of a 
picnic ; when, however, the advertisement of one of these picnic excursions shows 
that it is given by the "Johnny Morgan Coterie " or the " Pat Moloy Association," 
or something of the same ilk, people disposed to good order and whole bones in 
taking their amusements will do well to stay at home. 




BATHING AT COiMEY ISLAND. 

The principal starting places for steamboats to the seaside are at Pier i, on the 
west side of the Battery (Battery Place Station, Sixth Av. El. Ry.), and at the foot 
of W. 23d St., N. R. In Brooklyn the boats start from the foot of Fulton st. 
The advertisements in the daily newspapers should be consulted for information 
on these points, since no general statement that could be made here would be 
trustworthy for all occasions. The care of the police extends to all these steam- 
boat lines and all the seashore villages and bathing resorts near the city, so that 
women and children need not fear to go to any of them unescorted by men, — or at. 



300 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

any rate to any place where women and children would naturally think of going 
for a day's outing. Manhattan Beach, for instance, is crowded on jjleasant after- 
noons with little parties of ladies and children alone. Light wraps shoula always 
be taken, since the wind often blows very cool on the beach and on the ride home, 
especially if the return is made after dark. 

long Island Coast— Coney Island and Rockaway. 

The ocean beaches at the western extremity of Long Island are comprehended 
under the general designations " Coney Island " and " Rockaway." Important 
distinctions between the separate parts of each of these seaside resorts exist, how- 
ever, and should be carefully noted by the stranger. 

" Prior to 1875 ^'^'^ ^'^^ stretch of beach, five miles long, with its splendid surf, 
and its unecpialled location in point of accessibility from New York, Brooklyn, 
and other adjacent cities, was little more than a barren waste of sand. On the 
west end of the island was a small hotel, and two steamboats made daily trips to 
that point. At the terminus of the old Coney Island road from Brooklyn, stood a 
hostelry to which the residents of that city occasionally drove down in the after- 
noon. "The boats and the beach, however, were little patronized by the better 
classes, owing to the ditifrculty of reaching the island and the reputation for dis- 
order which it obtained through various causes. At that time a single horse- 
car line from Fulton Ferry and a steam line from an almost inaccessible part of 
Brooklyn near Greenwood Cemetery furnished the means of reaching other parts 
of the island; but these were an inconvenient and tedious means of reaching a 
location desirable only from its natural advantages. In 1S74 a steam road from 
20th St., Brooklyn, was built by an enterprising capitalist to what is now known 
as West Brighton Beach, and a large pavilion and restaurant were erected at its 
terminus. The result proved that the enterprise necessary to afford a convenient 
means of reaching the island was all that was necessary to secure for the place 
the position to which its location and natural advantages entitled it, as the most 
popular watering-place in this country. At the present time six steam railways, 
one line of street cars, and several lines of steamboats, capable of transjiorting at 
least 150,000 persons to and from the beach daily, are in operation. The beach 
itself is covered with light and airy buildings of all sizes and for every conceivable 
purpose, and during the season the sands are black with people daily." — Toivnsend. 

As this volume is not a descriptive book, it is not necessary to name or picture 
all the wonderful and enjoyable things one may see and do on these beaches 
further than is sufficient to characterize each one, so that the visitor who goes for 
the first time may intelligently choose his landing-place. 

Old Coney Island, or The West End. — This is the part longest occupied, 
and Norton's hotel, antedating all the modern structures, is still occupied. 
Around it have grown up pavilions, saloons and small hotels, but the district is 
not popular with quiet-loving citizens. It communicates directly with Brooklyn 
by a horsecar and steam route, known as the Brooklyn, Bath and West End R. R., 
which runs from Fifth av. and 29th St., just beyond the main entrance to Green- 



SEASIDE RESORTS. 301 

wood, but is rarely patronized by New Yorkers except when they go on to the 
shore ji'^ter a visit to the cemetery. A large summer home and- hospital for sick 
children is one of the features here. 

Adjoining and continuous with the West End is 

West Brighton, the most crowded and democratic part of this whole series of 
beaches. Here " there is a motley crowd of hotels, big and little, concert stands, 
beer-gardens, variety shows, skating-rinks, wooden toboggan-slides, shooting-gal- 
leries, bathing-houses, merry-go-rounds, inclined railways, museums, aquariums, 
brass-bands, pop-corn and hot sausage venders; " in fact, every thing that can be 
thought of for amusement and penny-catching. Out from the beach extend two 
long iron piers, with bathing-houses beneath them and restaurants, etc, at the 
end ; and here (and here alone) is where the steamboats from New York land their 
passengers. On the beach stands a tower, 300 ft. high, with elevators to carry 
you to the observatory in the top ; and a building near by is in the form of a 
colossal elephant, with restaurants, dancing-rooms and various other interesting 
things in its interior, while the howdah on its back forms an observatory beneath 
which is spread the panorama of the whole shore. The bathing arrangements 
here are good. West Brighton is thronged with people of every kind from noon 
till midnight, and most of all on Sundays; but there are certainly more plebeians 
than patricians. Three direct routes to West Brighton may be chosen from : — 

1. By StCiunhoaf. — Staunch and elegant boats of the Iron Steamboat Com- 
pany make trips at intervals of an hour or so from Pier i, on the North River side 
of tiie Battery, and from several other landings. The places and hours of depart- 
ure are advertised in the daily newspapers. The fare is 50 cents for a round-trip 
ticket, good to return by any boat of tlie line. 

2. Culver Route. — This is by steamboat from the Battery, at the terminus of the 
Elevated railways in New York, to Bay Ridge (South Brooklyn) and thence by 
rail (N. Y. and Sea Beach R. R.) to West Brighton. These trains run at intervals 
of an hour or less from morning until late in the evening. The time required is 
about an hour, and the fare is 50 cents for a round-trip ticket ; these tickets may 
be exchanged at offices on the beach to return by trains from Manhattan Beach ; 
and Manhattan tickets mav be exchanged for use in returning this way. Open 
cars, cool and comfortable, are used on all trains; and the terminus is in the por- 
tico of the great Sea Beach Hotel, which was originally the Government Building 
at the Centennial Exposition. 

3. T/ie Culver Route from Brooklyn, leaving Ninth av. and 20th st., South 
Brooklyn, and joining the main line in the outskirts of the city. Fare from Brook- 
lyn, 25 cents. The horse-cars from Fulton Ferry and the Bridge marked " Pros- 
pect Park and Coney Island " connect with the city terminus of this line, which is 
a convenient one for those who may spend a morning in Prospect Park, and wish 
to go to Coney Island for the evening. 

4. T/ie Ocean Parkzvay, a splendid boulevard or drive from Prospect Park 
straight down to West Brighton, and thence along the shore to Brighton Beach. 

5. The Route to West End, herettifme desnibed. 



302 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Brighton.— Half a mile east of West Brighton, beyond a desert of sand through 
which a hard road has been made, is Brighton, the favorite beach for Brooklyn 
people. Here is a huge hotel, which has been repeatedly moved back from the 
shore, out of the way of the waves, and the beautiful grounds have more than once 
been ruined by an inroad of the sea, or by the devastation of gale and salt spray. 
It is only three or four years since large and costly buildings stood far out beyond 
the present high-water mark. 

The Brighton hotel is 535 ft. long, and is run on the American plan. The upper 
floors are reserved for permanent guests, and transient visitors are not allowed 
even to ascend the stairways. Rooms on the second floor are assigned to guests 
making a short stay. The piazzas are so broad that 2000 persons ni'ay sit down at 
once at the tables set in them, and still leave ample space for promenading; and 
20,000 meals may be given in a single day. The prices are not excessive, though 
somewhat in advance of average rates in the city; but the portions served are large 
and will suffice for two persons, so that a party of friends dining together, may get 
a substantial dinner at fair rates,— say 75 cents to $1.25 each, "including vin ordi- 
naire. 

In front of this hotel is a band-stand, canopied by a huge, shell-shaped sounding- 
board, where one of the leading orchestras of I^rooklyn gives concerts twice a day. 
The bathing houses are of great size and are conveniently arranged; but nothing 
else obstructs the seaward outlook, for the shows and shops, taverns and clap- 
trap which distinguish West Brighton, are entirely absent from Brighton Beach. 

Routes to Brighton are : 

1. The Ciib'er and other routes to West Brighton, as heretofore stated, and 
thence along the Concourse, a paved road which connects West Brighton with 
Brighton, — distance, ^ mile. Cars on an elevated road, and many stages or 
" park wagons " are going back and forth continually ; fare 5 cents. 

2. Brighton Beach and Brooklyn Railway — From Atlantic and Franklin avenues 
to Brooklyn. 

3. Marine Raikuay, from Manhattan Beach. 

Manhattan Beach. — This resort, next east of Brighton Beach, is the favorite 
place for New Yorkers of the well-to-do class, and undoubtedly the spot to which 
the visitor will oftenest return, though he ought, once at least, to make the whole 
tour from the Oriental to West End. The Manhattan grounds are supposed to 
begin where the Brighton property ends, but in fact there is a half-mile space of 
Bpen sand and tidal inlet between them, which is traversed by a short steam rail- 
l-oad known as the Marine Railway, because formerly it ran through the surf upon 
a substructure of piles which were long ago engulfed by the sea. 

The Manhattan grounds are said to be 2^ miles long, and are occupied by the 
Btructures and grounds about two vast hotels — the " Manhattan " and the " Ori- 
ental." The former is at the terminus from the railroad to New York and 
Brooklyn, and at the western end of the beach, nearest Brighton. This is one of 
the largest hotels in the world, and after one has seen the throngs which contend 



SEASIDE RESORTS. 303 

for places at the tables set in its acre or so of dining-room, and on its broad 
piazzas, the statement that 8700 persons can be fed here at one time, does not 
seem improbable. The beach in front of the hotel is j^rotected by a piled break- 
water which has thus far withstood pretty well the encroachments of the devouring 
sea. A planked walk is built upon these jjiles and seats are placed there, in the 
full face of the ocean. Between this esplanade and the ocean a broad sjjace of 
asphalted walks, lawns and flower-beds is arranged, with a great number of park 
benches, and here one may stroll or sit at ease, with the ocean on one hand and 
the gay bustle of the hotel piazzas on the other. Immediately in front of the 
hotel is a sort of out-door theatre-shed, in which Gilmore's band, sitting inside a 
vast concavity which acts as a sounding-board, discourses music, afternoons and 
evenings. An admittance fee of 10 cents (with 25 cents for a reserved seat on 
special occasions) is charged; but the music can be fairly heard outside; and 
when it mingles with the booming of a heavy surf the effect is singular and im- 
pressive. A few rods down the beach are the bathing-houses, — one for men and 
one for women, — which contain no less than 2700 rooms and all possible conveni- 
ences. Bathing suits are let at 25 cents a piece, and the safe-keeping of valuables 
IS provided for. Here (as also is the case at Brighton) the bathing is protected 
from public gaze, by the walls and fences of the bathing establishment; but a 
payment of 10 cents will admit one to a pavilion overlooking the water in which 
hundreds of persons may be plunging about at once, under the watchful eye of 
life-savers and boatmen. In the rear of the hotel is the club-house of the Coney 
Island Jockey Club, whose race-track at Shee])shead Bay is only a short distance 
inland (See AMUSEMp;Nrs — Raciitg) and an enormous structure for the display 
of pyrotechnic e.xhibitions, etc. Except a picturesque kiosk for the sale of drugs, 
confectionery, cigars, etc., nothing disturbs the unity and elegance of the pleasure- 
grounds around the hotel. 

Half a mile eastward, and connected with the Manhattan by a broad walk and 
series of lawns is the great Oriental Hotel, with its own esplanade and bathing 
establishment. This hotel is nearly 500 feet in length and its four stories are 
crowned by peaked roofs, towers and spires in a most fantastic way. It is almost 
entirely patronized by permanent guests with long pocket-books, for its prices are 
beyond the means of ordinary mortals ; but if you are brave and have your best 
coat on you may walk past it without fear to the pleasant point of land at the 
eastern extremity of Coney Island, or even take a few steps on its piazza, just to 
see how it feels to be under the same roof with such stunning affluence. 

Manhattan Beach at night, when hundreds of electric lamps and thousands of 
gas jets are flooding the scene with radiance, and the moon is turning to silver 
and snow the heaving plain and bursting surf of the sea, is something long to be 
remembered. Two or three times a week a bewildering display of red light 
and fireworks takes place in the enclosure behind the grounds, where the palaces 
of Rome or Babylon fall into fiery wreck, or Pompeii disappears under the 
flaming hail and lava streams of Mr. Kiralfy's mock Vesuvius; but it is a question 
whether it is better to pay 25 cents and be given a hard bench close by the catas- 
trophe, or to stay by the *' loud-resounding sea " and watch these awful conflagra- 
tions from a comfortable distance. 



304 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Routes to Manhattan. — Manhattan may be reached from New York, as has 
been described, by coming through West End and Brighton, from the steamboat 
landing, by the Culver railroads, or through the city of Brooklyn. The direct 
routes, however, are by the Manhattan Beach Railway, from the James Slip or the 
E. 34th St. ferry, in New York, to Hunter"^ Point, and thence by rail direct to 
Manhattan; or by rail, direct from the Long Island R. R. station in Brooklyn 
(Atlantic and Flatbush avs.) ; or by the King's County or the Brooklyn Elevated 
R. R., from the Bridge to East New York, and thence by rail. All these routes 
converge into one in the outskirts of Brooklyn, and both open and drawing-room 
cars are run upon the trains, which move with great speed. The fare is 50 cents 
for a round-trip ticket from New York, which ticket may be exchanged for one to 
return by the way of the Culver Route, from West Brighton to Bay Ridge, and 
steamboat to the Battery. Trains are run half-hourly during the day in summer, 
and the last one leaves Manhattan at 10 : 30 p. m., and West Brighton somewhat 
later. 

Rockaway. — The next beach east of Coney Island, from which it is separated 
by the outlet of Jamaica Bay, is Rockaway. It is divided into two parts, the near- 
est of which (about 20 miles from New York), is Rockaway Beach. This is one 
of the oldest seaside resojts on the Long Island shore, and may be reached either 
by the Long Island R. R. from Long Island City (E. 34th St. ferry), or by steam- 
boat. The latter route carries by far the greater number of excursionists, and the 
steamers used are the largest known. Their hours of sailing and the various piers 
at which they touch, going and coming, are daily advertised. The route is down 
the harbor, through the Narrows, out past Sandy Hook into the open sea, and 
along the shore of Coney Island, whose towers, elephant, hotels, and railway struc- 
tures make a gay and picturesque scene along the water's edge, and so on into an 
inlet which forms a harbor in the rear of Rockaway Beach. The tiip occupies 
about one and a half hours, and one has about four hours to stay on the shore. 
Here are four piers, the railway station, a cluster of small hotels, and the empty 
shell of the biggest hotel on the face of this earth, which failed for want of patron- 
age, and brought to an end the elaborate scheme of improvement which had been 
begun by its projector. 

Rockaway has lost the elegance and ])restige which belonged to it a quarter of a 
century ago, before the Brighton and Manhattan hotels and beaches were con- 
structed. The place is now the resort of those who need or prefer to take their 
amusement cheaply, and are not too particular as to fashionable tone. The gen- 
eral as])ect at all four landings is much like that at the West ILnd of Coney Island, 
lacking, however, its crowd and vivacity. Frail and fantastic wooden pavilions, 
for dancing, drinking beer, and eating, abound on every hand, and there is little 
to choose between them in point of excellence. Clams and fish are plentiful and 
good, well cooked, but rather roughly served ; but the prices are moderate. There 
is a mechanical museum, and street-venders sell toys and notions of many kinds. 
The dancing platforms are always in request by the class of ])eople who visit the 
]5lace, and the-scra|5ing of the fiddle and the tones of pianos, made wheezv bv salt 
air, mingle incessantly with the roar of the surf. The ocean beach, which is only 



SEASIDE RESORTS. 



305 



a few luinJied yards from the steamboat landings, and a less distance from the 
railway stations, is a magnificent stretch of hard sand, exposed to the whole weight 
of the in-rolling Atlantic. Life-lines extend into the water at intervals, and thou- 
sands of people in uncouth bathing-dresses roll, tumble and scream with delight. 
Bathing houses line the shore, where dresses and a room may be obtained for 25 
cents. Should the ocean surf be dangerously heavy, a still-water bath may be 
taken on the inlet side. This beach is also accessible from Brooklyn by the Long 
Island R. R., and by the Canarsie R. R., and connecting steamboats on Jamaica 
Bay. 

Far Rockaway is the village at the eastern end of the beach, where it joins 
the mainland. It contains several good hotels and boarding-houses, and no 
excursionists invade its quiet. It is reached Ijy railroads from Long Island City 
or Brooklyn, or by steamer and rail via Rockaway Beach ; but offers no attraction 
to the mere sight-seer. 

Long Beach. — The next beach east of Rockaway is a stretch of sand facing 
the ocean, clear and solitary except for the splendid great hotel of the Long Beach 
Iinprove?ne7it Coftipany, in which the Long Island R. R. Company is interested, 
and which is a terminus of one of their branches. This is an immense and admi- 
rable hotel, designed for families who mean to remain for some weeks at a time 
on the shore. It is the resort of politicians and men of affairs and of wealth, and 
cares little for the patronage of the excursionist. 

Glen Island, in Long Island Sound is a favorite place forspending a day by 
the shore, and is described in the chapter on the Rivers and Harbor (p. 183). 

Coast of New Jersey. 

The seaside resorts upon the coast of New Jersey are a little more distant than 
those on the south shore of Long Island, and hence are less patronized — with the 
exception of Long Branch — by the one-day excursionists ; but the tourist bent 
upon seeing the metropolis in summer will find it well worth his while to visit 
some if not all of the places hereafter mentioned. 

The principal points of interest, as far down as Barnegat Bay, are these : Sandy 
Hook, The Highlands, Seabright, Monmouth Beach, Long Branch, Elberon, Deal 
Beach, Asburv Park, Ocean Grove, Ocean Beach, Sea Girt, Point Pleasant, Bay 
Head. 

The following information as to the means of reaching these points by rail is 
furnished to the public by the Central Railroad of New Jersey, which owns or 
operates (in some cases jointly with the Pennsylvania R. R. Company) all of the 
plexus of railways knitting together the towns and beaches of that part of the state. 
One may go thither fr.om the terminus of the Pennsylvania R. R., Jersey City : but 
that route is around inland, via Rahway. It is therefore pleasanter to make the 
trip by the Central R. R., whose New York terminus and ferry is at the foot of 



3o6 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Liberty st., North River. This route follows the shore, via Ijergcn I'oiiU, the 
long bridge across Newark Bay, the Amboys and Mattawan to the beaches. 

'I'his company also owns the Sandy Hook route, the most delightful and lu.xuri- 
ous route to the Jersey coast resorts, the trip being in itself an exhilarating 
recreation. A fleet of the finest steamers leaving New York, including the fastest 
boat on the bay, ply between the foot of Rector st. and the Hook. 

" A stranger can on this trip, familiarize himself with all the beauties of the 
harbor and bay — can see the statue of Liberty, the Narrows, Coney Island, and 
the Quarantine islands, and observe the fleet of yachts, merchantmen, and of coast- 
wise and ocean steamers which form a maritime procession of never-ceasing, ever- 
varying interest. The commuter, who has seen all these things many times, can 
breathe in the strong salt air which, after a hot day in the city, acts like a tonic. 
As soon as the steamers leave New York, the sujjerintendent at .Sandy Hook is 
informed by telegraph of the number of jiassengers aboard, and the train at Sandy 
Hook is made up accordingly, so that the railroad accommodations are ample. 
The train, after running for a short distance through the woods on Sandy Hook,, 
emerges upon the beach in full view of the ocean on one side and the Navesink 
River on the other, so that the railroad trip from the Hook is cool and 
refreshing." 

Tickets between New York and stations on the N. Y. and Long Branch R. R., 
from Long Branch to Point Pleasant inclusive, are good on the Sandy Hook route 
or the trains of either the Central R. R. of New Jersey or of the Pennsylvania 
R. R., whether issued by the Central R. R. of New Jersey, the Pennsylvania R. R., 
the New York and Long Branch R. R., or the New Jersey Southern Railway. 

Sandy Hook has been described in the chapter on the Harbor. Its interest 
for the sight-seer lies mainly in the shipping and yachts he is likely to find near 
there, and in the government ordnance and other scientific stations there. In the 
protected cove, called the Horseshoe, where the steamboat lands at the railway 
wharf, excellent fishing is to be had, and also from the government wharf and 
from the jetties north of the fort. The bathing in comparatively still water inside, 
or in the surf on the outer beach, is of the best kind. No hotel exists, but excur- 
sionists can get meals on the steamboats. The railway runs along the sand spit, or 
neck, with Spermacetti Cove (an ancient whaler's refuge) on the right and the 
open Atlantic close on the left, to 

Highland Beach, an excursion and bathing resort, especially intended for 
family parties, where there is a restaurant. This beach is connected by a bridge 
with the 

Highlands of Navesink, the special interest of which lies in the twin light- 
house towers, and their accompaniments, which have stood upon this height 
since 1828, and were preceded by beacons a century older. This structure, includ- 
ing the semaphore for signalling the arrival of vessels, etc., which preceded the use 
of the telegraph, is extremely interesting; and the view it affords, embracing all 



SEASIDE RESORTS. 



307 



the lower harbor and the Long Island shore, is one of the grandest marine pictures 
in the world. This is a good standpoint from which to watch the ocean yacht 
races. The hotels here are in the town of Atlantic Highlands, on Sandy Hook 
Bay, where the Grand View ($3.50) and the Bay View and Windsor ($2.50) are in 
the lead. The rough but picturesque villages of clani-diggers along the beaches of 
the Navesink river, which " makes in "south of the Highlands, will prove highly en- 
tertaining to persons from the interior. Navesink Beach (with its U- S. Life-Saving 
Station), Normandie, and Rumson beaches are bathing and boating stations along 
the outer strand opposite the mouth of Navesink River — a region full of histori- 
cal associations and literary interest, as readers of Cooper's sea-storie-- will recall. 
Seabright is the first of the line of fashionable watering-places. Its improve- 
ment is of recent date, and it has become one of the gayest of summer resorts, 
since a large number of costly cottages, owned by wealthy men from New York, 
Philadelphia, etc., have been built. The grounds about them are sodded and 
planted with shrubbery and flowers, and every means of outdoor amusement is 
provided. 

The principal hotels are the Normandie, Octagon and Seabright ($4.00), and 
the Peninsula and Shrewsbury ($3.50). Near by are Nanvoo, a quaint old 
clamming and fishing conunuuity, and the Shrewsbury Rocks, long famous for 
good fishing. The headland opposite is Rumson Neck, which lies as a peninsula 
between Navesink River on the north and Shrewsbury River south of it. It ter- 
minates in a bluff inhabited in summer by cottagers and boarders from the city. 
The Neck is traversed by pretty drives, one of -which goes out to the edge of the 
bluffs and commands an exceedingly fine view of the sea and the foreground 
beaches. Carriages may be hired at Red Bank (a large town on the Central Rail- 
road of New Jersey, at the head of Navesink River), or at Seabright, which is 
connected with Rumson Neck, and the summer village of Oceanic (Pavilion 
Hotel) near its extremity, by a bridge. At Redbank, the Globe and other hotels 
charge '5;2.oo a day. The next important station is 

Monmouth Beach. — "In 1871," says Gustav Kobbe, whose excellent little 
book The Neiu Jersey Coast and Pines should be in every traveller's hands, " there 
were only two houses between Seabright and North Long Branch, a distance of 
over three miles. Now there are so many summer residences on this portion of 
the coast, that there is scarcely a stretch of a few hundred yards without a cottage, 
and scarcely a foot that does not show evidence of the improvements made by the 
Monmouth Beach Association." There is, however, no general hotel, and the pat- 
ronage of excursionists is not encouraged. These must content themselves with 
admiring its lordly privacy from the windows of the cars, and pass on to the cele- 
brated show-place of this coast, — 

Long Branch. — The name is derived from that long ago given to a narrow 
southern inlet from Shrewsbury River ; and the place was a favorite resort for 
summer visitors to the seaside (particularly those from Philadeljjhia) a century 



3o8 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

ago. A large hotel, The Bath, was elected there fifty years ago, upon the site 
now occupied by Hotel Scarboro. The present hotels at Long Branch are : 
Hollywood, West End, Howland, Scarboro, Brighton, Ocean and United States, at 
$4.00 a day; and a dozen or more others at lesser rates down to $1.50 a day. Mr. 
Kobbe's admirable characterization of this far famed resort is so complete and 
perspicuous that it must be quoted in large part : 

"The Long Branch of to-day is a sea-shore cosmopolis. The features which 
attract the vast summer throng to it probably repel as many, if not more, from it, 
a circumstance to which the majority of the more rational resorts on the coast 
doubtless owe their origin. The leading characteristics of Long Branch may be 
described in one sentence : It is the only resort on the coast which supports a 
synagogue; the 'tiger' has two superbly appointed jungles: it is ' fashionable ' 
in the sense in which the word is used by those who fondly imagine that lavish dis- 
play of wealth is evidence of high social position. It may be judged from the 
foregoing that Long Branch is not a place whither a circumspect parent would take 
his family for a quiet summer by the sea ; but for those who like to be in the 
whirl of a ' fashionable ' watering-place it is without a rival, as it is also for the 
cynic who enjoys drawing his own conclusions anent the maddening crowd as it 
gads by. Yet, as there are islands in a rushing, roaring stream, so there are some 
spots in Long Branch where the noisy throng has not intruded." 

But those who would not care to live at Long Branch may find interest enough to 
tempt them to one or more day's stay there. A line of steamers, supplemented by 
many irregular excursions lands its passengers at the Iron Pier, which extends 800 
ft. out to deep water, at a height of 20 ft. above the tide. The base of this pier 
rests upon Ocean Avenue, a part, five miles long, of the " beach drive " which 
runs from Sandv Hook to Barnegat Bay. " Ocean avenue toward evening is prob- 
ably the liveliest thoroughfare in the United States. Here one can see almost 
every kind of vehicle — stages crowded with excursionists, buggies drawn by swift 
roadsters, tandems, four-in-hands, T-carts, etc., many of them perfectly appointed, 
and each interesting in its own way, as representing one of the many types of peo- 
ple to be found at this resort. Among the turnouts are many from the resort 
north and south of Long Branch, whose residents doubtless look with quiet amuses 
ment upon much of what they see. 

Underneath the Iron Pier is an extensive public bathing beach, with all suitable 
facilities, where at the bathing-hour (announced near full tide by the hoisting of a 
white flag on the hotels), hundreds and sometimes thousands of persons may be 
seen bobbing in the surf. Thev are carefully watched by life-savers in boats on the 
line beyond the surf, and should bathing be dangerous none are permitted to enter 
the water. Restaurants and places for amusement of various kinds are open for 
the benefit of day-visitors. 

Included under the general name are Branchport and Long Branch Village, old 
farming settlements inland ; North and East Long Branch ; Pleasure Bay, where 
Price's hotel and boat houses are situated ; Oceanport and West End, — the latter 
the southernmost and most aristocratic part of the district. Close by Long 



SEASIDE RESORTS. 



309 



Branch village are the great race courses of Moiniionth Park, where, in past years, 
some of the most important races in the history of the American Turf have been 
run. Lately this course has declined in importance (see Amusements — Racuig) 
but new and very extensive additions to the grounds and accomodations have been 
made, and since the new Park was opened by conspicuous trials of speed on July 4, 
1S90, it is exi^ected that the former prestige of the course will be regained. In its 
vicinity are the many stud farms and other interesting features of Eatontown and 
Little Silver. 

A continuation of Long Branch southward (and the next railway station) is 

Elberon. — It was elaborately laid out by its original owners as a refined cottage- 
district, and gives no invitation to excursionists, though possessing a large and 
expensive hotel (the Elberon). " Among the handsome residences of this place is 
the Francklyn cottage, rendered famous as the refuge to which President Ciarfield 
was brought, and where he was lulled to his final sleep by the murmur of the sea. 
General Grant's former summer home is also at Elberon." 

Deal Beach, just below Elberon, and on the border of Deal Lake, promises to 
grow into a popular place for summer residences of a more moderate degree of 
cost and display, but it has not many inhabitants. Its hotels are the Hathaway 
($3) and Allen ($2). An adjacent district is called Interlaken. 

Asbury Park and North Asbury Park come next, and are separated only by a 
narrow fresh-water lake, while both also face the ocean. This popular resort is 
really an outgrowth of Ocean Grove, the land having been bought and platted by a 
capitalist who was moved to do so by the fear that it might fall into hands inimical 
to the religious objects held in view at the great camp-meeting grounds just below. 
He named it after Bishop Asbury, the pioneer bishop of the Methodist Church in 
America, and his title deeds prohibit liquor making or liquor selling. Extensive 
improvements of the wilderness of sand and pines were at once undertaken, and 
the excellent management exercised by its promoters has met with a large and 
well-deserved success. The summer population now reaches 30,000, and a beauti- 
ful village, with hard and thoroughly drained roads, good sidewalks and paths, 
hundreds of hotels, business houses, boarding houses and cottages, churches, 
banks, newspapers, an opera-house, a library and lecture hall, electric lights, 
public water, and a plank walk a mile long on the sea beach, connecting with the 
esplanade of Ocean Grove, has arisen where twenty years ago was little or nothing. 

The people here are not of the pretentious wealth and social prominence of 
those at Monmouth Beach and Seabright nor are there manv representatives 
of the pushing and sometimes vulgar " aristocracy" of Long Branch ; but, on the 
other hand they are a more rational, well-to-do and livelier population than that 
wliich frequents the academic walks of Ocean Grove, and though they cannot 
drink fiery spirits are not averse to milder stimulants, and dance, flirt, and other- 
wise make as merry as the gayest. There are said to be 200 hotels and boarding 
houses, an increasing number of which remain open during the winter, when foiir 



310 GUIDE TO NEW VORk' CITY. 

or five thousand people continue to inhabit the village and enjoy a comparatively 
mild and equable climate. 

The hotels at Asbury Park are the Coleman ($4), West End ($3.50), Atalanla, 
Belvedere, Brunswick, Colonnade and Continental ($2 to %l), and a number 
of others at less rates per day. 

Separated from Asbury Park only by an insignificant inlet, is 
Ocean Grove, a seaside town under the control of an association of Methodist 
clergymen, which owes its origin to the need of larger space and better accomoda- 
tions for the annual summer camp-meetings formerly held at Vineland, N. J. This 
site, in 186S, was almost totally uninhabited — a waste of beach and sand-dunes 
overgrown with small trees. Purchases of land were made and a permanent relig- 
ous resort was started, which has now become firmly established and widely pop- 
ular among the classes of people it appeals to. The object in view of its founders 
was to establish a school and nursery of religious influence, where people would be 
attracted to remain for rest and out-door recreation. To this end, and in order 
that nothing should contravene this religious influence, the strictest regulations as 
to moral conduct, judged from an evangelical standpoint, were laid down and are 
maintained. The result of this religio-social experiment where some 30,000 peo- 
ple voluntarily place themselves, during their vacation season, under a purely 
autocratic government, has been so extraordinary, as Kobbe remarks, that the 
place merits the careful examination even of those whose convictions or sense of 
individual dignity and independence revolt against such a form of admin- 
istration. 

Everything has been done to further the exclusiveness, not only, but the devo- 
tional spirit of the place. On the north it is guarded against the world by Wesley 
and another lake, crossed only by foot-bridges ; the western side is defended by a 
strong fence, while the southern boundary is protected by Fletcher Lake. The 
streets are named after localities prominent in sacred history or after the fathers 
of the Methodist Church, and the largest buildings in the place are the great 
Auditorium, the Tabernacle, intended mainly for "holiness" meetings, the Young 
People's Temple, and a huge topographical model of modern Jerusalem. So 
many association meetings, anniversaries and religious conventions or special 
services are held, in addition to the daily stated meetings for preaching, prayer or 
praise, that they are said to average sixteen a day during the two midsummer 
months, and the effort at religious revival is incessant. Almost the only allowable 
amusements, among those customary at the seaside, are boating on the freshwater 
lakes and surf-bathing. The latter is now strictly regulated and policed, for 
strangely enough, the sisters and brethren of this good community permitted 
themselves such indiscreet, not to say scandalous, behavior while enjoying the 
waves and strolling along the beach or through the town in their bathing suits, as 



SEASIDE RESORTS. 31 r 

really to surprise and shock not only the Elders (who might be suspected of having 
supersensitive eyes) but even the most worldly of visitors. The bathing houses 
are massed in huge pavilions at each end of the sea beach, where a broad space 
has been reserved by the Association, and the plank walk is thronged at all hours 
with strollers. Bathing suits may be hired, or a bathing house may be rented. 
Carriages are charged for at the rate of $2 for the first hour and $1 for succeeding 
hours: and boats at 25 cents an hour. The hack fare from the railway station is 
10 cents. Tents, with simple furniture, may be rented and set upon the grounds. 
An excursion (return) ticket from New York to Ocean Grove or Asbury Park, 
costs I11.85, single fare, $1.20. The leading hotels at Ocean Grove are : Sheldon 
($3 to $4) ; Arlington, Atlantic, La Pierre and Seaside ($2.50 to ^3); United 
States, Waverly ($2), besides a score or more of lesser ones. 

" It is chiefly in the regulations by which it protects the ends for which it was 
founded, that Ocean Grove is most distinguished from other resorts. In order to 
maintain control over the character of the population, no lot is sold outright, but 
only leased for 99 years, with privilege of renewal. The lease carries with it the 
burdens of ownership in the way of taxation, improvements and repairs, and the 
privileges of ownership, including sale of lease during satisfactory tenancy and the 
fulfillment of the proviso that no liquor be sold nor any nuisances created on the 
premises. No person shall keep pigs or chickens, nor dogs, unless licensed and 
muzzled; and a large number of occupations require a license. No theatrical or 
other like entertainment is allowed, nor the distribution of handbills and adver 
tisements of the same, under penalty; nor is it lawful ' for any organ-grinder, 
pack-peddler, scissors-grinder, hand peddler, or person having for sale or selling 
anything in a push-cart, rag-gatherer, or for any person engaged in similar pursuits, 
or for any person exhibiting shows of any kind, to pursue their calling within the 
premises of the Association.' The penalty is a fine or imprisonment. The sale 
of tobacco under any form is strictly forbidden, under penalty, and smoking is not 
permitted in the neighborhood of the camp-meeting grounds. Spirituous liquors are 
forbidden, under severe penalties, excepting under very strict regulations by the 
druggists. By special act of the Legislature, this prohibition extends for a statute 
mile from the limits of Ocean Grove. With the tabooed potables are included 
'such seemingly innocent liquids as Schiedam .Schnapps, Tolu, Rock and Rye, 
Wild Cherry, Rock and Bitters, Tippecanoe and the various so-called bitters, 
which are preparations put up as medicine, but really intoxicating stimulants.' 
No carriages are permitted on the beach, no velocipedes, bicycles or wheelbarrows 
on the plank-walks, and it is forbidden 'to discharge any cannon or other piece 
of artillery, or small-arms, guns or pistols, rockets, squibs, fire-crackers, or other 
fire-works, within the limiti* of said Association.' No swearing is permissible in 
the boats, where, it is presumed, parties might be inclined to indulge in unseemly 
speech, out of earshot of the Association. An efficient police is employed day 
and night to exclude tramps or other unsuitable persons, and enforce the other 
regulations. The gates are closed at 10 p. m. and all day on the Sabbath, when 
no one can enter except by the bridges, which are carefully Avatched, and only 
those desiring to attend services can then cross, paying no tolls, l)ut liable to a 
fine of $10 if crossing for other purposes. No papers can be sold on Sunday, nor, 
by agreement with the authorities of Asbury Park, within one block of the Asbury 



312 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

end of the bridges. No boats are used on that day, no wheeled vehicles can be 
seen in the streets, no milk is distributed, and even the physicians, though sum- 
moned to the bed of the dying, must go on foot. It is needless to add, that no 
trains stop there on the Sabbath, nor at Asbury Park. Of course no bathing is 
permitted on the Sabbath." — Kobbe. 

With Asbury Park and Ocean Grove the popular attraction of the New Jersey 
coast pertaining to New York, really ends. Next below Ocean Grove is 

Key East, a nev/ settlement on Shark River, famous for its oysters and crabs, 
which is growing into favor. A religious " Seaside Assembly " and an " American 
Institute of Christian Philosophy" have residences and annual sessions there, and 
a summer home for crippled orphans is maintained bv the Protestant Episcopal 
Church. Avon Inn ($3 to $4), and Berwick Lodge ($3) are the foremost hotels. 

Ocean Beach, a short distance beyond, has one of the most beautiful locations 
upon this coast, lying along a narrow strip between the sea and Shark River. The 
sport to be had from fishing and crab-catching, boating and bathing, is nowhere 
excelled. The ruins of the once celebrated Allaire Ironworks form the object of 
a delightful drive from this place, or from the resorts south of it. The principal 
hotels are : Columbia, ($4), Brunswick ($3), Nejitune ($2.50), and there are sev- 
eral others. Lake Como is a new and small place just beyond. 

Spring Lake takes its name from the sheet of fresh water in its center, and is 
largely patronized by Philadelphians; it is a quiet and pretty spot, with excellent 
boating; three hotels, Essex, Susse.x and Monmouth, each charge $3 to $4 a day. 

Sea Girt is not a cottage town, but a place for picnics and excursionists, who 
come mainly from Philadelphia and inland towns, to the many hotels and restau- 
rants that border upon the bathing beach. On the second Saturday in August, a 
vast assemblage of farmers in wagons meets here, and indulges in a monster clam- 
bake ; but the piquancy of the "doings" has been much toned down by the mod- 
ern conventionality of summer visitors from the city. Manasquan and Brielle, 
a few miles below, are new places for cottagers ; but in Point Pleasant, on the 
south side of Manasquan River, we have another summer resort, like Sea Girt, 
where there are many hotels and excursion parties, as well as permanent cottagers. 
At Bay Head, two miles south of Point Pleasant, Barnegat Bay is reached, and 
the seashore line of railroad terminates. 

Suburban Points of Interest. 

LONG ISLAND. 

Eastern End. — It is about 115 miles from the East River to the eastern ex- 
tremity of Long Island at Montauk Point. The island is only a dozen miles in 
breadth, however, and its eastern end is deeply indented by the waters of Gardi- 
ner's and Peconic Bays. Around these bays, and on Shelter Island, in the latter, 



..^v^^iMA^jfu -. 



SEASIDE RESORTS. 313 

are several villages — Greenport, Southold, Riverhead, Sag Harbor, etc., which are 
deservedly beloved as summer resorts, and where large preparations have been 
made to receive visitors and summer residents. Some of these towns are among 
the oldest settlements in the United States, and are full of quaint relics of two 
centuries ago. Amagansett, Southampton, East Hampton (where Howard Payne, 
author of " Home, Sweet Home " lived), are on the southern side of that end of 
the Island, near the ocean, and full of sea-scenes and traditions. The Long Island 
R. R. runs fast and elegant trains to these points, and no excursion would yield 
more pleasure to the visitor from the interior than the one to this part of Long 
Island, with rambles on foot, or by stage, from one quaint village, fashionable 
hotel, or fishing station to another. It is a great place for yachting, boating, crab- 
bing, fishing and sea-fare, and has often been pictured and described, most suc- 
cessfully, perhaps, in the articles and illustrations by the Tile Club, to be found in 
The Century Magazine for February, 1882. The present writer contributed to 
Harper'' s Magazine for October, 1878, an article entitled "Around the Peconics," 
covering all this regions which was illustrated by Abbey and Rinehart, and from 
which the ensuing extracts are made : 

South Shore. — The whole south shore of Long Island is protected from the 
strength of the ocean by beaches, which extend in an almost continuous line from 
Coney Island, the western end of which juts into New York Bay, to the semblance 
of bluffs at Sag Harbor. They are all alike — narrow banks of shifting sand 
scarcely elevated above the level of the tides, on the outer side of which the surf 
beats with endless diligence, and within which shallow bays separate them from 
the marshy shores. Westwardly the barrier is broken at short intervals by 
frequent inlets, and the islands thus formed receive distinct names — such as Coney 
Island, named after the vast abundance of " conies " found there by the discov- 
erers; Barren Island, whose desert character is only heightened by the disgusting 
fish-oil factories; Hog Island, where the earliest settlers of Hempstead, in 1660 or 
thereabouts, made a public pasture for their pigs; Manhattan and Rockaway. 

" Westwardly the inclosed waters, such as Jamaica and Hempstead bays, are of 
no importance, being full of sandy bars and marshy islands ; but after the thousand 
and one islands of the latter are ]nissed, comes a splendid lagoon of open water 
six or seven miles wide and forty miles long, known to all the world as the Great 
South Bay. Who has not heard of Eire Island and its light-house?— the first 
beacon that shines out of America upon the voyager who is shaping his course for 
New York.' of the Surf Hotel and its marvellous chowders.' of the Great South 
Beach and its reminiscenses of wrecks, told in the curious old bar at Captree, 
where the dampness of the sea fog is warded off bv the most miscellaneous of 
mixed drinks? All these wonderful places are on the Great South Bay. It is 
there, too, that city sportsmen most often go for a day's or a week's gunning. 
Abundantly on the meadows during the spring migrations, and all summer on the 
outer beaches, various snipes and sandpipers resort, laying their eggs high up in 
the sand, and picking their food between tide-marks. . . . But the main sport is to 



314 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

be had in the autumn and winter, when the hosts of wild fowl — geese, swans, ducks 
— and the bay birds — curlew, snipe, plover — come winging their way from their 
arctic breeding grounds to winter homes on our warmer coast. In November, per- 
haps, the most water-fowl are to be found on the Great South Bay, after which the 
more tender ones pass further south; but, unless the weather is very boisterous, 
large numljers remain all winter. . . . 

" The fishing begins in early spring, when the ice goes out, and the nets can be 
set. . . . Late in April the flounders go out into the deeper water, and then are 
caught with hook and line, which is great sport, after which comes blue-fishing in 
May, and that is greater fun. Get a ten-pound blue-fish on the far end of your 
line, pulling one way, while your yacht is carrying you swiftly through the curling 
waves in the opposite direction, and you will need both adroitness and muscle to 
secure your prize. 

" In one respect the fame of the Great South Bay is becoming a thing of the 
past. Among the Indians it was famous for the abundance of sickissuog, which 
we call clams ; and until recently it was thought the supply was inexhaustible. . . . 
The oyster business has been better managed. The soft bottom and sheltered 
coves of the bay made it a fine place for these bivalves, and until thirty-five years 
ago the natural catch was sufficient for the demand. Since then, however, the reg- 
ular planting of oysters in appropriated beds has been pursued, having been begun 
at Patchogue. This industry is successfully increasing, and even now the annual 
production of cultivated oysters in the bay is said to amount to $500,000, many 
being sent to Europe. One doesn't know how good an oyster really is till he eats 
it just out of the shell at Bay Shore or Blue Point. 

"The villages along the shore are clean and bright with new paint and prosper- 
ity, but they are not picturesque. The country fishing hamlets of Bellport, Fire- 
place (a favorite spot for aboriginal clambakes, tradition asserts), Moriches, and 
Speonk, where you strike the Sag Harbor branch of the railway." 

A railway line (from the Atlantic Av. Station, Brooklyn, or from foot of E. 34th 
St., New York), extends along the Great South Bay, and frequent trains are run. 
The principal stations in succession are, Babylon, Islip, Sayville, Bay Shore and 
Patchogue. From Babylon a ferry runs to Fire Island. Between Bay Shore and 
Patchogue, at the eastern extremity of the bay, lie the great oyster grounds, whence 
come the small Blue Point oysters, which take their name from a little cape where 
they were first gathered and afterward cultivated. 

East of the Great South Bay lies the large, shallow island-studded Inlet called 
Jamaica liay, at the head of which are the broad prairies of the Hempstead 
Plains. Canarsie, noted for its clambakes is on its shore. The protecting sand- 
spit which runs from the mouth of Jamaica Bay eastward is Long Beach. Then 
come in order, Rockaway, Manhattan, Brighton and Coney Island beaches, else- 
v/here described. The railways to the South Shore all pass through Garden Cil)\ 
a town of new, fine houses on the open Hempstead Plains, which will remind 
western travellers of some new prairie city. It was founded by A. T. Stewart, who 
intended it to be a model suburb for the residence of New York business men, but 
for some reason this purpose never met with the expected response. A beautiful 



SEASIDE RESORTS. 315 

and costly Anglican cathedral has been built there, which was consecrated in 1885^ 
and was generously endowed by Mr. Stewart's gifts and legacies. An Episcopal 
residence was added by Mrs. Stewart, and here lives the bishop of the Diocese of 
Long Island. The length of the cathedral is 270 feet, its transept 75 feet, and its 
nave about 60 feet. The oigan it contains is the largest in the world. It has 115 
stops and 7,252 pipes, and cost $100,000. Underneath the cathedral is the mauso- 
leum, said to be the most elaborate of the kind in this country. Garden City is 18 
miles from New York. The quaint and pleasant village of Jamaica, 11 miles 
from New York, is passed through en route, and is worth a few moments stoppage, 
if convenient. 

North Shore. — The northern shore of Long Island, facing Long Island Sound, 
is less thickly settled aTid less interesting than the southern margin. A railway 
line skirts it, with stations at Flushing, Whitestoiie, Bayside, Glen Cove and 
Roslyn (by branch), Huntington, Northport and some smaller places. Oysters ar*; 
extensively cultivated in the little bays and a small ship-building goes on steadily 
Northpoi-t is a queer little place, with a long history and many attractions for 
artists; Glen Cove is noted for its starch and other factories; at Roslyn lived the 
poet, Wm. Cullen Bryant; Sea Cliff is a pretty summer resort, perclied upon 
high sand-cliffs and surrounded by woods. Great religious campmeetings are held 
there annually. Bayside is a charming spot on the shore of Little Neck Bay 
(whence came originally the small round clams termed " Little Necks"); it is 
connected with Flushing by a beautiful drive, four miles in length. lVillet''s Point 
is a headland and fortification (see p. 183) dividing Little Neck Bay from Great 
Neck Bay and marking the mergence of East River into the Sound; opposite 
it is another fortification named Fort Schuyler. The Point is a depot for engi- 
neer's stores and material, and headquarters of the liattalion of Engineers, U. S. A., 
and is garrisoned by troops of that battalion. Torpedoes are planted in front of it, 
and the great sign "Don't Anchor here,'' attracts the attention of all passengers 
on the Sound steamboats. 

Flushing is an old and prosperous town, settled in early times by Hollanders. 
It is only ten miles from New York and a large part of its citizens do business 
there. It is a port upon the Sound, and was the scene of important military oper- 
ations and a battle during the Revolution. 

Steamboats ply between all these North-shore villages and New York. 

Flatbush, Newtmvn, Middle Village, Canarsie, Gravesend and East N'ew York 
are merely suburbs of Brooklyn. 

Long Island City, Hunter's Point, Ra7'enswood and Astoria are united into a 
city under the former name, which lies north of Brooklyn, Newton Creek being 
the line of division. Here are the terminus, headquarters, shops, etc., of the 
Long Island R. R., which monopolizes traffic on the Island ; and here are a large 



3i6 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

number of oil refineries, chemical works, and other evil-smelling factories, which 
have given to Hunter's Point a national reputation for unsavorine?:' T' 
Ravenswood district, north of Hunter's Point, is somewhat better; and Astoria, 
which stretches along the East River above Hell Gate for a mile or more, has 
costly and handsome residences whose gardens come down to the shore. The 
name comes from the old country house of the Astors ; and many families of note 
used to dwell here, or still do so. It furnishes the bulk of the flowers brought to 
the markets and florists of the city. 

Bay Ridge, Bath and Besonhiwst are charmingly situated southern suburbs 
of Brooklyn, overlooking New York Harbor, and reached by ferries, as well as 
by horsecars. 

Westchester County. 

The hills and dales of Westchester County which joins New York County and 
city on the north, are densely populated and many pretty towns and villages may 
be counted. Yonkers is on the Hudson, and joins the northern limits of New 
York. It has 20,000 citizens, a great part of whom come regularly to business in 
the metropolis. Next eastward, covering the central hills is Mt. Vernon, a scat- 
tered town with stations on both the Hudson River and New Haven R. Rs., and 
many beautiful drives. wStill farther east is Westchester, a historic old place, 
likely to become more popularly known hereafter, through the crowds which will 
visit the great new race-track of the N. Y. Jockey Club, described under the head 
of Amusements. Eastchester and Pclham are hamlets at the head of inlets 
from Long Island Sound, and are traversed by the Harlem Branch of the New 
Haven R. R. New Rochelle, 17 miles from Grand Central Depot, on the New 
Haven R. R., is exceedingly pretty and popular with New Yorkers. It was 
settled in very early times by Huguenots, and preserves many interesting relics of 
its colonial period. 

The New Jersey Shore. 

Although in another state, and on the opposite side of the Hudson, the cities 
fronting upon the western side of the North River are an integral part of the 
Metropolitan District, since a great number of their inhabitants do business in 
New York and pass back and forth daily. These are Jersey City, Hoboken, 
West Hoboken, Gutenberg and Weehavvken, 

Jersey City. — This great town, which has absorbed several contiguous and 
once separate municipalities, now has 150,000 population and stretches from the 
harbor shore opposite the Liberty Statue, to the Hoboken line opposite the foot of 
Christopher st, New York ; and it reaches back to the Hackensack River and 



JERSEY CITY. 317 

Meadows. Its front is low land, a large breadth of which has been reclaimed 
from the harbor, enclosing the great Communipaw Basin at the outlet of the Mor- 
i'js &"iissex Canal, in the rear of the terminus of the Central R. R. of New Jersey. 
Tl'iis low frontage, known originally as Paulus Hook (or Point) offered less induce- 
ment to the early settlers than other equally accessible districts near New Amster- 
dam, and was doubly exposed to Indian depredations. It was therefore slow to 
be settled and cultivated ; and the prejudice thus naturally begun has been unnat- 
urally continued in the minds of New Yorkers ever since. This feeling is intensi- 
fied by the fact that the traveller on any of the railways that pass through Jersey 
City sees only the forlornest streets ; and also by the fact that the town offers no 
■ one special attraction to the public gaze. The water-front is for the most part 
in the possession of railway and steamship companies. Here are the termini of 
the systems of the New York, Lake Erie and Western, the Pennsylvania, and 
the Central New Jersey (Baltimore and Ohio) railways, with their many subsidiary 
lines (see Ferries), whose long depots and wharves line the shore and sometimes 
extend far out into the tide. Behind them are a great number of factories, some 
of immense proportions, — notably large glass works, crucible works, steel 
works, zinc works, locomotive works, boiler and machine shops, founderies, 
etc. The lofty piles of the sugar refineries form a conspicuous object near the cen- 
ter of the city, as one crosses from New York ; and the massive tobacco factories 
of the Lorillard Brothers (a short walk from Pennsylvania depot and ferry) make 
another notable feature in the view. The elevators nearer to the " Erie" wharves 
are also conspicuous. A mile back from the river-front the long rocky ridge of 
Bergen Heights — a continuation of the Hudson Highlands — extends north and 
south as an elevated peninsula between New York and Newark Bays, as far as the 
pretty village of Bergen Point ; and furnishes a fine building site for residences, 
where the windows overlook the panorama of the whole harbor. Upon this hill 
are many very pleasant streets and some fine churches and schools ; but the pub- 
lic buildings of the city, located there, are of mean appearance. Both the New 
Jersey Central and the Pennsylvania railways pass through this ridge by deep cuts 
which afford to mineralogists one of the best fields for collecting rarities known in 
the east; and the latter company, which now rushes several hundred trains a day 
through the city at an astonishing speed, is about completing an elevated viaduct 
of masonry and iron, which will extend from the Heights to the ferry and obviate 
all danger to pedestrians. 

The principal ferry entrance to Jersey City is at the foot of Montgomery St., 
connected by boat with Cortlandt and Desbrosses sts.. New York (Pennsylvania 
R. R. ferries). From here horsecars run southward to the extreme limits of 
Jersey City and to the New York Bay Cemetery — the principal burying ground 
of that region ; this district is also reached by the Central R. R. of New Jersey, 



3i8 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

from Liberty st. New York. Other lines from " the ferry " in Jersey City, go up 
Montgomery st., past pretty Van Voorst Sq. (perpetuating the memory of the 
original owner of all the land in that vicinity) and along the southern part of the 
hill to the suburbs Lafayette, Greenville and Bayonne ; up Newark Av., the 
main business street, to the Court House on the Heights ; and northward to Ho- 
boken, and to the terminus of the N. Y., Lake Erie and Western R. R. and its 
associated lines in the northern edge of the city. This (the •" Erie ") station is at 
the foot of Pavonia av., and is connected with New York by direct ferries to 23d 
and to Chambers st. The trains pass under Bergen Ridge by a long tunnel. 

Jersey City is improving in many ways, but as yet has little or nothing to inter- 
est the ordinary sight-seer unless it be Taylor's Hotel. This famous hostelry is a 
large, unornamented building at the foot of Montgomery St., and within a minute's 
walk of the ferry and the Pennsylvania R. R. station. 

It was built about 1850, and for some years was distinguished principally as a 
sporting resort where many of the pugilists of the last generation met before and 
after the big " mills." During the war it was always crowded with army officers 
and politicians, many of the highest rank, making brief stoppages. But its pr(jx- 
imity to the city of New York, while under the jurisdiction of another state, has 
recommended to it its most notorious and profitable patronage. Eloping couples 
were always numerous there, and many a refugee from justice, or, more often, 
from the too pertinacious questioning of some court, has lived there a temporary ex- 
ile within sight of home. These, if gathered together, would make a strong army, 
with such leaders as Jim Fisk, Jay Gould, the Tweed conspirators and many more 
of almost equal prominence. Now it is the political headquarters of the state, 
and the scene of many banquets and honorary festivities. 

Hoboken. — North of Jersey City (Hobokeu av. is the dividing line) lies the very 
convenient but unlovely city of Hoboken. Its water-front is made by the wharves 
of several great trans-Atlantic steamer lines, particularly those sailing to the Ger- 
man ports, and by the station of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Ry. sys- 
tem. This ferries from Barclay and Christopher sts., New York (see Ferries). 
A ferry from W. 14th st., New York, also lands passengers at the riverside com- 
mons called the Elysian Fields, in the northern part of Hoboken. The population 
of Hoboken (30-40,000) is very largely German, and is devoted to manufacturing 
to a considerable extent. It has one distinctly American Institution, however, in 
the Stevens' Institute, which occupies a wooded promontory of rocks that juts out 
into the river conspicuously and is covered by a pretty park. This is a polytechnic 
and scientific school of high rank, founded by the late Commodore Stevens, who 
equipped the " Stevens Battery," famous in the early part of the Civil War ; and 
whose "castle " overtops the trees of what was formerly his estate. " Along the 
edge of this hill, with the river-bank on the right, is a promenade to the Elysian 
Fields, formerly a fine pleasure ground with stately trees and luxurious grass, but 
now sadly neglected and all but ruined. The promenade is the only one of the 



CITIES OF NEW JERSEY. 319 

kind near New York, and even New-Yorkers with an eye for tlie picturesque, do 
not disdain to come over here on a fine summer Sunday afternoon, and enjoy the 
river-breeze under the shadow of the well wooded and extremely steep hill." 

Bergen Heights, behind and above the lowland part of Hoboken, are occupied 
by Hudson City, West Ilobckcn and Union Hill, constituting one municipality under 
the first name. It is an unprepossessing district, accessible by an elevated road 
from Hoboken Ferry to the top of the hill, whence horsecars radiate ; there is 
also a carriage road through Weehawken. 

On Union Hill, the northern part of the ridge, stand the monastery and triple- 
towered, gaudily decorated church, of the Romanist ascetic order Redemptorists. 
There, also, principal of the many beer-gardens scattered among this German pop- 
ulation, is the Scheutzen Park, — charmingly variegated grounds which were once 
the country-seat of an Englishman, who built him a picturesque stone house now 
used as headquarters of the Target-shooting Society which owns the grounds. 
Great picnics, shooting matches, etc., are frequently held here during the summer, 
the best one of which is the Volksfest, when many thousands of Germans throng 
the grove, amusing themselves with games, beer-drinking, music and social 
acquaintance. This park is half-an hour's ride from the ferry by horse-cars, or can 
be reached by the Northern New Jersey R. R. 

Guttenburg is on the hill next north of Hudson City (Union Hill), and more 
or less continuous with it. It is most easily reached by the ferry from the foot of 
\V. 42d St. Germans predominate, and an immense brewery, upon the roof of 
which is a beer-garden with a wide, cool prospect up and down the river, is the 
most notable feature of the place, except the winter race-course, described elsewhere- 

Weehawken is another little city, north of Hoboken and under the hill which 
here apjiroaches the water more closely than below. It was the scene of Revolu- 
tionary operations ; and here, a few years later, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron 
Burr fought the duel which cost the former his life. Now it is known principally 
as the terminus of the New York, West Shore and Buffalo, and the Ontario and 
Western railroads, and is connected with 42d st. and Jay St., New York, and with 
Brooklyn, by ferries. 

A pleasant walk may be had in summer along the Highlands, in and above 
Weehawken, which command beautiful views of the river, the bold shores and the 
great city, catch the coolest breezes, and are most easily accessible ; yet they are so 
thinly settled as to appear from the river almost deserted ; and few persons of social 
prominence have ever chosen that region as a residence, even upon the Palisades 
themselves. The reason for this, and for the fact that even Hoboken has been so 
largely relegated to obscure and socially inferior people, is not readily perceived ; 
and the time will come, no doubt, when a very different state of things shall be 
seen along that beautifiil shore. 



320 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

Fort Lee, at the foot of the Palisades of the Hudson, and opposite the upper 
end of Manhattan Island, is a small village clustered about old Fort Lee, a forti- 
fication built by Washington, commanded by Greene and named after Gen. 
Charles Lee. It was evacuated soon after the British obtained possession of New 
York, and never did any service to either side. For many years this has been an 
excursion point and picnic ground, and gradually it became the resort of a rough 
element who would land there by the barge-load and hold noisy revels. A few 
years ago, an attempt was made by a company of capitalists to redeem the place, 
and prepare it for a pleasure resort acceptable to a good class of customers. A 
great hotel has been built, and abundant means of refreshment and amusement are 
provided, while the scale of prices is moderate. The surroundings of the spot are 
charming, and during the summer steamboats make hourly trips back and forth, 
from Canal, 24th and 34th sts , New York, while the ferry at W. 129th st. (readied 
by the 125th st. cable cars), runs all the year round; but fashion has never smiled 
upon the place, though the view from its Palisades is worth a much longer journey. 

Inland Towns of New Jersey. 

Newark is the largest city in New Jersey, only 9 miles from the City Hall, 
New York, and separated from Jersey City only by the salt meadows along the 
Hackensack River, which are gradually becoming populated, and where now ex- 
tensive railroad shops have grown up. It lies for the most part along the west 
bank of the Passaic River, from two to five miles above its debouching into New- 
ark Bay; and small steamers and sailing craft ascend to the city's wharves. It 
has now about 150,000 population, only a small portion of whom do business daily 
in New York, for, notwithstanding its proximity, Newark is self-contained in a 
greater degree than any other town near the metropolis, and can hardly be spoken 
of as a suburb of New York. 

Its history goes back to 1666, when it was settled by a colony of Connecticut 
people, who bought the site from the Indians. They wished to enjoy their form 
of worship (the Congregational) without interference, and came at the invitation 
of the liberal and far-seeing governor of New Jersey — Sir George Carteret. They 
enacted that no one could become a burgess of the town, or vote, unless he w.ts a 
member of the Congregational Church, but anyone else could enjoy all the other 
privileges of the community, which prospered steadily. The name is in honor of 
Newark, England. In 1721, they first quarried the freestone which long since 
became an im])ortant article of exj^ort, but it was not until after the war of i8r2 
that a career of progress Ijegan. The city now covers 17I square miles of terri- 
tory. It is regularly laid out, with wide, straight streets, crossing each other at 
right angles. Broad St., the j^rincipal thoroughfare, is 120 ft. in width, and extends 
through the entire length of the citv. Bordering upon it are two beautiful )iublic 
squares called the Upper and Lower imrks, which are adorned with magnificent 
elm trees, as also are South Park, in the lower part of the town, and many of the 
fine roads leading out toward the hills of Orange, 



INLAND TOWNS OF NEW JERSEY. 321 

The rapid growth of Newark is chiefly owing to its manufactures. These are 
very prosperous and widely diversified. They embrace almost every branch of 
industry, but particularly excel in jewelry, buttons and ornamental novelties, iron 
fabrics, India rubber goods, leather and leathern articles, drugs, clothing, hats, and 
in the production of malt liquors. The encouragement given to these factories by 
the city, the multiplied means of transportation by both land and water, and its 
contiguity to the great market of New York, has built up Newark into a vast 
workshop. The Pennsylvania, New York, Lake Erie and Western, New Jersey 
Central, and Delaware, Lackawanna and Western railroads pass through the city, 
each having several stations. The Pennsylvania, from Jersey City, is the most 
direct route ; round-trip fare, 35 cents. 

Elizabeth is another manufacturing city, a few miles south of Newark, and 
upon the shore of Newark Bay. It is almost continuous with Newark along 
Broad st., and is traversed by both the Pennsylvania and New Jersev Central 
railroads, on the route to Philadelphia. The name was given about 1664, when it 
was first settled, out of compliment to the wife of Sir George Carteret ; and for a 
century or more this was the capital and chief town in New Jersey. Hence many 
of its streets are shaded by fine old trees, and the residence portion of the town 
contains charmingly old-fashioned mansions, the homes of wealthy families. 
Here was founded the College of New Jersey, afterward established at Newark 
under the presidency of the father of Aaron ISurr, and subsequently removed to 
Princeton. During the Revolution Elizabeth was the scene of many stirring inci- 
dents ; and afterward witnessed the triumph of Washington, who came there to 
embark with much ceremony on his way to his inauguration in New York, in 
1789, as the first President of the United States. The city now has a population 
of 25,000 and contains a large number of factories, foremost among which is 
the enormous establishment of the Singer Sewing Machine Company, which prac- 
tically supports the waterside suburb called EUzabethfort (see p. 200). 

Rahway is a pretty town of about 7000 people, five miles southwest of Elizabeth 
on the Pennsylvania R. R. It is the residence of many men doing business in New 
York, and is surrounded by orchards and fruit farms. The Rahway River, which 
empties into Staten Island Sound, is navigable to this point. 

New Brunswick, 12 miles beyond, and 32 miles from New York, is an inter- 
esting old plnce at the head of navigation on the Raritan River, where the Delaware 
and Raritan Canal begins its overland course to Trenton. There are many large 
factories there, but its chief interest to strangers lies in Rutger's College, — an old 
seat of learning under the care of the Dutch Reformed Church, which can be seen 
from the cars of the Pennsylvania R. R. as they cross the lofty bridge spanning the 
river and canal. 

South of Elizabeth, on the line of the N. J. Central R. R., the first stations are 



322 GUIDE TO MEW YORK CITY. 

Perth Aniboy and South Aiiiboy, heretofore mentioned, followed by Matawan^ 
MidcUetcnvn, Red Bank 2iW^ Shrcu>slmry,\)^-^o\\A which lie Long Branch and the 
coast villages and pleasure resorts described in the next chapter. 

The Oranges, and the region generally north and west from Newark is the best 
known and most favorite district for suburban residences in the immediate neigh- 
borhood of the city. It is reached by the Morris and Essex line of the Delaware, 
Lackawanna & Western R. R., from Hoboken, and the stations are hardlj half a 
mile apart. These are, in succession, after leaving Newark, Grove st., East 
Orange, Brick Church, Orange, Mountain Station and South Orange. 

The last is fourteen miles from New York. The whole region, which is low and 
level near Newark, but gradually rises westerly into the Orange Hills, is highly 
cultivated and thickly set with the homes of men who, for the most part, go to 
New York every day. This suburb is more and more assuming a town-like 
appearance, aud its streets are continually advancing and connecting hitherto sejDa- 
rated villages, so that already " the Oranges " constitute one great and beautiful 
rural community of perhaps 50,000 people. 

At a greater distance, and somewhat northward, lie Blooiiificld, Llcwclly)! Park, 
the three Montclairs, and many lesser villages, closely clustered together among 
the hills, inhabited by New Yorkers, and served by frequent trains on one or 
another branch of the D. L. & W. or Erie R. R.'s. 

On the main line of the " Erie,"-(N. Y., L. E. and W. R. R.), which runs nearly 
north from Jersey City, are the Riitherfords and Passaic — the latter a factory town 
of 10,000 people. On the same river, a few miles higher up, and 17 miles from 
New York, is 

Paterson, a city of over 50,000 inhabitants. Its extensive iron and silk works 
and the repair shops of the Erie Railway give it a thriving appearance. The 
Passaic Falls on Passaic River are a feature of this place. The river here has a 
perpendicular fall of 50 feet and a total descent of 72 feet, affording an immense 
water-power, which has been improved by a dam and canals. The scenery in the 
vicinity of the falls is very picturesque, and a handsome park borders them. 

Along the western base of the Bergen Hills, the West Shore (N. Y., W. S. and 
B. R. R.), and several other railways make their way northward, passing through 
many pretty villages where New Yorkers live, and penetrating, in the rear of the 
Palisades, a district of extreme natural beauty and full of historical relics and asso- 
ciations. No person should leave out of his scheme of exploration of the neigh- 
borhood of New York, such places as Englewoody Hackensack, Cherry Hill, 
Tappan and others where happened some of the most exciting incidents of the 
Revolutionary war, and which are still environed in a rural beauty astonishing 
when one remembers how near they are to the city. 



STA TEN ISLAND. 323 

Siaien Island. 

The description already given (see Harbor), of the shores of Staten Island, 
forestalls the need of any extended remarks here. The ferry to Staten Island, 
furnished with staunch and elegant double-decked boats, runs between the Battery 
and St. George, a new landing at the northernmost point of the island, lately 
established by the managers of the Baltimore and Ohio R. R. as a terminus for 
their lines from the west, which cross to the island from Elizabethport, N. J. by 
a bridge over the Arthur Kills. Extensive piers and terminal facilities for 
exchange and warehousing of freight have been constructed here, and the port 
bids fair to become of vast importance, while plans are under consideration for 
connecting Staten Island with Long Island by a tunnel under the Narrows. No 
passenger trains are yet run over this route. 

There is a highly serviceable railway system on the island, nevertheless, known 
as the State7i Island Rapid Transit, which runs from St. George, the ferry-landing, 
to all the shore villages of importance. This consists of three lines : 

1. A line crossing the island from St. George southward at the distance of a 
mile or so from the shore, and passing through Concord, New Dorp, Htcgtienot, 
Princess Bay (whence come many oysters) and Pleasant Plains, to Tottenville, at 
the southern extremity of the Island, whence a ferry boat crosses hourly to Perth 
Amboy. Regular fares are charged on this line. 

2. A line from St. George along the shore of the Narrows to Stapleton (the 
landing where old Commodore Vanderbilt began the ferry to New York which 
was the foundation of his fortune), to Clifton (where Garibaldi lived several 
years), and to Fort Wadszvorth and the batteries at the Narrows. Ferry tickets 
(10 cents) are good between New York and any station on this line without addi- 
tional charge. 

3. A line from St. George along the beautiful north shore, through New 
Brighton, Sailor's Smig Harbor, Port Richmond, etc., to Erastina, at the terminus 
of the bridge to Elizabethport. Here as in No. 2, an uniform rate of 10 cents is 
charged from New York to any station, and vice versa ; this fare including both 
ferriage and railroad ticket. 

The time from New York to St. George is twenty-five minutes, and Rapid Tran- 
sit trains closely connect with every boat. 

Staten Island is hilly and contains many attractive spots, and much excellent 
farming land. The views of the harbor and harbor-shores gained from its northern 
highlands, are exceedingly fine, while the most charming and artistic river scenery 
is to be had along Arthur Kill and the sound separating the island from New 
Jersey. Quaint old ports are scattered along the southern shore, and odd little 
villages throughout the interior, as countrified as if they were away in the woods 



324 GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. 

of Cattaraugus, lint interspersed everywhere are the modern and luxurious 
country residences of wealthy New Yorkers, who go back and forth daily. This 
interior is traversed only by wagon roads, Richmond, the judicial seat of the 
Island (which constitutes Richmond County) being itself away from the railroad. 

Sailor's Snug Harbor, — The most interesting and notable thing on the 
north shore of the Island is this asylum for aged and infirm seamen, which is in 
the western part of the town of New Brighton, opposite Constable's Hook, N. J. 
but has a railway station of its own half a mile beyond the New Brighton station. 
Its stately and complete buildings occupy a park and attached farming lands 
amounting together to 1S5 acres. This benefice is the result of a bequest made 
at the beginning of this century by Capt. Richard Randall, then a prominent mem- 
ber of the Marine Society of New York. This bequest consisted mainly of his 
farm, whose southern boundary was the line of the present Astor Place, and which 
yielded to the Trustees about $40,000. This has been so carefully managed that 
the pr(5perty of the Harbor now approaches $iS,ooo,ooo in value, and the income 
suffices to care for 1,000 beneficiaries. About 750 are at present on the rolls, and 
surrounded by unusual comfort. According to the terms of the bequest, which 
was made in advance of the introduction of steam navigation, none can be 
admitted except those who have seen a certain amount of actual sea-service as 
sailormen. This excludes a large class of men who have been employed on steam- 
ships exclusively, and there is much complaint at the strict interpretation by which 
the trustees exercise their privileges. The institution is open to visitors at all 
suitable hours, and is well worth inspection, es])ecially in summer, when the 
grounds and the water-views they afford are admirable. A mortuary monument 
covering the bones of the founder, stands near the main entrance : and in another 
part of the park is a bronze statue of Randall by Augustus St. Gaudens, which is 
one of the most satisfactory pieces of sculpture in the neighborhood of New York. 
The visitor should take pains to see, within the buildings, the workshops, where 
scores of cheerful old mariners sit in the sunshine, smoke their pipes and work at 
plaiting baskets, mats and other articles of straw, netting hammocks, fishnets, 
tidies, etc., and rigging toy models of painfully accurate schooners, brigs and full- 
rigged ships. These articles were sold by them, and the more able and industri- 
ous make a considerable income in this way. The Sailor's Snug Harbor is as 
sunny and cheerful a refuge as can be found in the Union. 

Erastina and the Woods of Ai'dcn are pleasure resorts of occasional interest. 
At the former Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show gave its exhibitions and may do so 
again. 



THE END. 



INDEX. 



A 

PAGE 

Academy of Design 256 

Amateur Dramatics ^f, 

Ambulance Service ~'' 

Anarchists 'ik m 

Annexed District i°' S. 

Apartment Houses I'O 

Arion Singing Society o^ 

Army, The Regular v.o'bV" 5^8 

Art Schools 142, 25,, 2o8 

Ai-t Galleries 255, ^^ 

Astor Place ••••■■■ 1^^ 

Astoria 6«J, IW, dia 

Assay Office ip« 

AsburyPark ^^ 

Asylums, BUnd t5} 

Deaf Mute 281 

Insane ^^1 

Orphan -"'^ 

Athletics . "„ 

Avenues, Central ■ • • }i^ 

Fifth 145, 1-1 

St. Nicholas ll^ 

Second ^° 

Third ^' 

B 

Baggage Express |5 

Balls and Dances oo 

Banks lo^ 

Baths 45 

Battery, The ••• ]^^ 

Barge Office 18', 192 

gj^P The 

Bar' Rooms 8T, 88, 93, 217 

Base Ball ^^i 

Bayside f 

Baxter Street 204 

Beaches, in Long Island oW 

" New Jersey ^^ 

Beer Gardens •■ ,°° 

Bedloe's Island ^^' o2! 

Bellevue Hospital i *' 5 



Bergen Point 200 

Bible House • • • 241 

Blackweirs Island ^^' ^^ 

Bloomingdale 15 

Boarding-houses 44 

Bookstores l"-* 

Books about New York 12 

Boulevards 115, 119 

Bowery, The 210 

Bowhng Green l^X 

Branch Post Offices 69 

BriKhton -^Oa 

Broadway 13, 162, 166, 170 

Brooklyn 289 

Bridge 64 

" E.D 62 

Ferries to ^j 

Librarv 291 



Suburbs of . . . 
C 



.315, 316 



Canarsie 

Carmansville 15^ 

Castle Garden ■•• 

Cathedral, the R. C 231 

Cemeteries, Calvary 

Cypress Hills 

Greenwood 

Central Park 

" Menagerie 

" The Drive 

" Museum, Nat. Hist 

" Museum of Art 

" Obelisk 

Circus, The 

City Government .... 

" Hall 1 

" Island 

Chamber of Commerce 

Chapels of Trinity 

Charities, Private 

PubUc 

Chelsea 



314 
, 55 
190 
232 
295 
295 
293 
106 
107 
114 
110 
120 
142 
85 
16 
I, 58 
183 
153 
223 
280 
278 
15 



325 



326 



INDEX— Continued. 



PAGE 

Chlckering Hall 207 

Churches, Baptist 227 

Congregational 227 

Dutch Reformed 219 

Episcopalian 220 

Jewish 228 

Lutheran 228 

Methodist Episcopalian . . . 226 

Presbyterian 224 

Roman Catholic 229, 249 

in Brooklyn 291 

Clearing House 162 

Cleopatra's Needle 142 

Clubs, Social 260 

Artists' 258 

Bicycle 98 

N. Y. Athletic 96 

Coaching 93 

Fencing 98 

Manhattan Athletic 97 

Pastime 97 

Riding 93 

" Yacht 94 

College of City of New York 244 

Normal 244 

Columbia 245 

Coenties Slip 187 

Concert Saloons 82 

Coney Island 300 

Cooper Union 57, 85, 847, 252 

Corlear's Hook 14 

County of New York 18 

Courts 19 

Cricket 98 

Croton Aqueduct 29 

Custom House 157 

D 

David's Island 183 

Day Nurseries 283 

DealBeach 309 

Delmonico's 46 

Departments of the City 16 

Dispensaries 277 

District Messenger Service V . . . 71 

E 

East River Bridge. (See Brooklyn Bridgeo 

Eden Musee 85 

Elberon 309 

Electrical Subways — 71 

Elevated Railways 51 

Elizabeth 321 

Engine-house, A Visit to an 26 

Equitable Building 164 

Erastina 324 

Exchange, Cotton 155 

Produce 151 



Federal Hall 11 

Perries 61 

Field Sports 97 



i>AGi: 

FifthAvenue 145, 171 

Fire Department 26 

Fishing 95 

Five Points 204, 280 

Flats 175 

Florence Mission 203 

Flushing 315 

Fort Hamilton 196 

" Lafayette 197 

" Lee , 320 

" Wadsworth 197 

Fox Hunting 98 

Fraunces Tavern 56 

Free Masonry 865 

Furnished Rooms 43 

G 

Garden City 431 

Gas Lamps 29 

Geology of Manhattan Island 9 

Glen Cove 315 

Glen Island 183, 305 

Governor's Island 83, 269 

Grace Church 323 

Grand Army of the Republic 874 

Grand Central Depot 34 

Grant's Tomb 117 

Greenwich 15 

Greenpoint 63, 185 

Greenwood Cemetery 293 

Guttenberg 319 

H 

Hackensack 322 

Hacks and Cabs 36 

Harbor, Tour of the 189, 196 

Harlem 15,177 

Harper & Bros 56 

Hart's Island 63, 183 

Health Department 25 

Hell Gate 184 

Highland Beach 30« 

Highland Lights 199 

Hoboken 318 

" Ferries to 63 

Horse Car Routes 58 

Hospitals 275 

Hotels, American plan 38 

" Combination plan 39 

" European plan 39 

" Ladies at 42 

Hudson City 319 

Humane Societies 284 

Hungarian and Swiss Quarter 216 

Hunter's Point 315 

I 

Insurance Patrol 27 

Statistics 28 

Inwood 15 

Islands in East River 183 

Italian Quarter 208 



INDEX- 
'S 

PAGE 

Jersey City 316 

" " Ferries to 63 

Jewish Quarter 113 

Jockey Club, New York 89 

■' " Coney Island 90 

Joss House 208 

K 

King's Bridge 67 

L 

Ladies' Half-mile 171 

" Luncheon Places 184 

Lafayette Place 167 

Lectures 84 

Lenox Lyceum 82 

Liberty Statue 192 

Library, Apprentices' 253 

Astor 251 

Brooklyn 291 

Columbia 245 

Cooper Union 352 

Free 253 

Lenox 250 

Mercantile 253 

Liederkranz 84 

Local Districts 13, 14 

Long Beach 305 

Long Branch 307 

Long Island, Eastern end of 312 

North Shore of 315 

South Shore of 313 

Long Island City 318 

■' Ferries to 64, 185 

Ludlow Street Jail 23 

M 

Macy's. 100 

Madison Square 147' 

Madison Square Garden 79 

Maiiliattauville 15 

Manhattan Beach 302 

Manhattan Island 9 

Market, Catherine 189, 288 

Centre 288 

Essex 288 

Fulton 286 

Ganseverst 287 

Jefferson 288 

Washington 285 

W.Washington 287 

Masquerades 86 

Menagerie. (See Centra Park.) 

Metropolitan Opera House 73 

Metropolitan Museum of Art 120 

Missions 241 

Monmouth Beach 307 

Morrisania 15 

Mulberry Bend 205 

Murray Hill 172 

Museums 85, 110, 120 

Musical Entertainments 82, 84 



Continued. 327 

N 

PAGE 

Narrows, The 197 

National Guard 272 

Navesink Highlands 306 

Navy Yard, Brooklyn 295 

Negroes, Institutions for 283 

Newark 320 

New Brunswick 32 

New Jersey, Cities and Suburbs in. . . 316 

NewRochelle 316 

Newspaper Offices 165 

Night, A Ramble at 200 

Northport 315 

Nurses, Trained 277 

O 

Obelisk, The 142 

Ocean Beach 312 

Ocean Grove 310 

Old Slip 187 

Opera Houses 73 

Opium Smoking 209 

Oranges, The (N. J.) 322 

Oriental Hotel Beach 303 

(Oyster Culture 199 

Saloons 49 

P 

Panoramas 85 

Park Row 165 

Park, Bronx 118 

Bryant 53 

Central 106 

Gramercy 168 

Jeannette 55 

Morningside 115 

■' Prospect 292 

Riverside 116 

■• Van Cortlandt 55, 118 

Paterson 322 

Plymouth Church ...'. 291 

Police Courts 21 

Force . . . 23 

Headquarters 24 

Population 12 

Port Morris 15 

Post Office 67, 69 

Prisons 21 

Produce Exchange 151 

Prospect Park 292 

Q 

Quarantine 197 

R 

Rahway 321 

Railwaj' Stations 32 

Routes 33 

Randall's Island 64,181,279 

Races at Gravesend 89 

at Monmouth Park 91 

in New Jersey 92 

at SheepheadBay 90 

at Westchester 89 

Raritan Bay 199 



328 



INDEX— Continued. 



PAGE 

Ravenswoo"d 315 

Redbank 307 

Religious Facts 218 

Restaurants 45 

Chinese 209 

French 203 

Rialto 81 

Rifle Shooting 98 

River, East 1T9, 182 

Harlem 67 

Hudson 180 

North 181 

Riverside Drive 116 

Rockaway 304 

Rogues' Gallery 25 

Roslyn 315 

Route of Ninth Ave. Elevated R'y • • • • ='3 

Second Ave. Elevated R'y-- 58 

Sixth Ave. Elevated R'y. • ■ ■ 52 

Third Ave. Elevated R> .... 55 

Rovcing 94 

Rumson Neck 307 

Russian Quarter 212 



Sailors' Snug Harbor 167, 200, 324 

St. George's Church 223 

St. Mark's Church : 224 

St. Paul's Church 222 

Schuetzen Park 319 

Schools, Public 243 

Medical 248 

Seabright 807' 

Sea Cliff 315 

Sea Girt 312 

Sea Resorts 298 

Seventh Regiment 273 

Ship News 199 

Shipping 100 

Slumming 202 

Socialists 215 

Societies, Art 256 

Historical 266 

Learned 267 

Musical 84 

Secret 265 

S. P. C. A 284 

Square, Abingdon 106 

Franklin 56 

Jackson 106 

Madison 147 

Printing-house 166 

Stuyvesant 168 

Tompkins 106 

Washington 149 

Stages 60 

Statues 169 

Staten Island 197, 200, 323 

Ferries to 64 

Steamboats 32 

Steamships 182 

Landings 30 

Stock Exchange 160 

" " Consolidated 161 



PAax 

Statistics . . JO 

Street, Baxter 204 

Bleeker 202 

Chambers 53 

Cortlandt... 52 

Fulton 164 

Forty-second 173 

Hester 214 

" South 187 

" Wall , 155 

Streets, Arrangement of 13 

Stuyvesant Place 168 

Suburbs, How to Reach 60 

Sub-Treasury 159 

Sunday in New York 218 

T 

Table d'Hote Dinners 48 

Telegraphs 70 

Telephones 71 

Tennis 98 

Theatres 73 

Tombs, The 22 

Trade Districts 102 

" Statistics 12 

Trap-shooting 99 

Trinity Church 163, 221 

Trip Down the Bay 189, 196 

Turf and Turfmen 189 

Turn Verein 97 

U 

University, Columbia 245 

New York 247 

Union Hill 319 

" Seminary 248 

V 

Vanderbilt Houses 174 

VaudevUle Theatres 8 

W 

Waiters, Feeing 50 

Wall Street 155 

Ward's Island 64, 379 

Washington Bridge 67 

" Place 150 

Water Supply 28 

Weather Service 271 

Weehawken 64, 319 

West Brighton 301 

Westchester County 316 

West Hoboken 319 

Wharf Scenes 181, 188 

Williamsburgh 62 

WiUets Point 183, 315 

Wolfe, Catherine 135 

Women, Institutions for Aiding 281 

Woodlawn Cemetery 295 

Y 

Yachting and Boating 94 

Yorkville 15 

Yonl?ers 316 

Young, Institutions for 282 

Y. M. C. A 242 



LATEST ADDITIONS TO 

GLOBE LIBRARY. 

( See other List.) 

76 LIVING OR DEAD. By Hugh Conway. 

77 VALERIE; or. Half a Truth. By " The Duchess." 

78 A MERE CHILD. By L. B. Walford. . „ ^ 

79 FAIRY GOLD. By the author of "All in the Wild March Morning," etc. 

80 MADAM'S WARD. By Carl Andrews. 

81 THE STORY OF AN AFRICAN FARM. By Olive Schreiner. 

82 THE UNPOPULAR PUBLIC. By Litere. 

83 THE DREAM. By Knille Zola. 

84 THE ROGUE. By W. E. Norrls. 

85 MISS BRETHERTON. By Mi-s. Humphrey Ward. 

86 A DANGEROUS CATSPAW. By D. C. and H. Murray. 

87 RALEIGH RIVERS. By O. OB. Strayer. 

88 JACK DUDLEY S -WIFE. By E. M. ftavy. 

89 THE MADDOXES. Bv .Jean Middleniass. 

90 ADAM BEDE. Bv Gc.iRe Eliot. 

91 THE QUEENS TOKEN. By 31r.><. Cashel Hoey. 

92 THE LADIES' GALLERY. F.v .lustjn JUCarthy, and Mrs. C. Praed. 

93 THE ENGLISHMAN OF THE RUE CAIN. By H. F. Wood. 

94 IS MARRIAGE A FAILURE ? Edited by H. Quilter. 

95 ALMEDA. By Dr. N. T. Oliver. 

96 MADEMOISELLE SOLANGE. By E. de Julliot. 

97 THE REPROACH OF ANNESLEY. By Maxwell t.rey. 
1 98 THREE YEARS. Bv .losei)hine. Countess Sehwerin. 

' 99 VERE; THE LEADING LADY. By One of the Profession. 

100 THE GIRL FROM MALTA. By F. W. Hume. 

101 CLEOPATRA. By H. Kider Haggard. 

102 ARTIST AND MODEL. By Bene de Font-Jest. 

103 THE TENTS OF SHEM. By Grant Allen. 

104 A CROOKED PATH. By Mrs. Alexander. 

105 MAROONED. By W. t'hn-k Kussell. 

106 COULD AUGHT ATONE ? Anonymous. 

107 THE GOLGOTHA OF THE HEART. By H. Wachenhusen. 

108 DR. WILBURS NOTE-BOOK. By Dr. N. T. Oliver. 

109 ROLAND OLIVER. I'.y .lustin McCarthy, M. P. 

no RHEA; or, The Case of Dr. Piemen. By Rene de Pont-Jest. 

111 MRS. ANNIE GREEN. By Opie P. Read. 

112 FOR LOVE OF HER. By tlie author of "Vere. 

113 ALLANS WIFE. By H. Kider Haggard. . 

114 LOVER OR BLACKMAILER? By F. Du Boisgobey. 

115 LADY CLANCARTY; or. W^edded and Wooed. By A. D. Hall. 

116 THE SALVATION ARMY. By "Nora M.arks.'' 

117 TROLLOPE'S DILEMMA. By St. Aubyn. 

118 BLIND LOVE. Bv Will<ie Collins. 

119 A NOBLE WOMAN. I'.v Henry Greville. 

120 PYRRHA; A Story of Two Crimes. By Pauline Grayson. 

121 THE DANVERS JE^WELS. 

122 HAYNE HOME I'.v Anna Oldfleld Wiggs. 

123 ODETTES MARRIAGE. By Albert Delpit. 

124 TROVATA. Bv Jl. F. Stvmour. 

125 BEATRICE. By H. Ki.ler Haggard. 

126 BURRITT DURAND. By John McQovern. 

127 CLOISTER ■WENDHUSEN. By Win. Heimburg. 

128 THE EVOLUTION OF " DODD." By William Hawley Smith. 

129 LOOKING FURTHER FORWARD. By Kieluird Michaelis. 

130 WHOSE HAND? Bv W. C. Wills and Hon. Mrs. Greene. 

131 FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT. By H. Stephens and W. St. Leger. 

132 STAIRS OF SAND, liy Nancy Huston Banks. 

133 2Et« 13 tick in 6ie Xukttntt; German translation of " Looking Further 

Forward." Bv R. Mi<'liaelis. 

134 STORIES OF THE BASE BALL FIELD. By Harry Palmer. 

135 A FELLOW OF TRINITY. By A. St. Aubyn and W. Wheeler. 

136 THREE MEN IN A BOAT. By Jerome K. Jerome. 

137 THE PHANTOM RICKSHAW. By Rudyard Kipling. 

138 A MARRIAGE AT SEA. By W. Clark Russell. 

139 THE BURMAH TREASURE. By Stephen P. Sheffield. 

140 BLACK BEAUTY. Bv Anna Sewell. 

141 THE MARRIAGE OF GABRIELLE. By Daniel Lesueur. 

142 THE JUDGE. I'-v Klia W. Peattie. 

143 BARBERINE. Bv Mary Meal Sherwood. 

144 CONSTANCE WINTER'S CHOICE. By Anna Louise Beckwith. 

145 THE LIGHT THAT FAILED. By Rudyard Kipling. 

146 A MARRIAGE FOR LOVE. By Ludovic Halevy. 

147 HOODWINKED. By T. W. Speight. 



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Numa Roumestan. By A. Daudet. Illustrated. Half morocco, $1.50. 
Fabian Dimitry. By Edgar Kawcett. Paper and cloth. 
In Liove's Domains. By Marah Ellis Ryan. 
Spirite. By Theophile Gautier. Illustrated. Double number. Half 

morocco, gilt top, $2.00. 
The Romance of a Spahi. By Pierre Loti. Half morocco, $1..50. 
The Gladiators. By G. J. Whyte-Melville. Half morocco, $1.50. 
The Chonans. By Honore de Balzac. Illustrated. Half morocco, $1.50. 



RAND, McNALLY & CO., Publishers^ 

CHICAGO AND NEW YORK, 



Sl7opper's Quide 



AND DIRECTORY. 



BOOKBINDERS. 

THOMAS RUSSELL & SON, 
24 New Chambers St.— K 3L 



BOOKSELLERS. 

BRENTANO'S, 
5 Union Square— L 26. 

McHALE & ROHDE, 
OCortlandtSt.— J31. 

pHAS. SCRIBNER'S SONS, 

\y 743 Broadway.— L 28. 



DRY GOODS. 

ALTMAN & CO., 

19th St. and 6th Ave.— K 25. 

JAMES McCREERY & CO., 
801 Broadway.— L 27. 

H. MACY & CO., 

14th St. and 6th Ave.^K 30. 



B, 



R, 



H, 



FURS. 

SIEDE (EstabHshed 1851), 

14 W. 14th St.— K 26. 
5th Ave. and .35th St.— M 24. 



GUIDES. 

RAND, McNALLY & CO., 
Sn Broadway.— J 30. 

HOTELS. 

COLEMAN HOUSE, 
1169 Broadway.— L 25. 

SMITH & McNELL, 
199 Washington St.— I 30. 



MAPS. 

RAND, McNALLY & CO., 
323 Broadway.- J 30. 



MUSIC. 

CDWARD SCHUBERTH & CO., 
Iv 23 Union Square.— L 26. 



T 



PAPER. 

HOMAS BARRETT, 

78DuaneSK— J29. 



PHOTOGRAPHERS. 

SARONY, 
37 Union Square.— L 26. 

STATIONERS. 

JOHN S. HULIN, 
J 369 Broadway.— J 30. 

TOWER MFG. & NOVELTY CO., 
306 Broadway.— J 30. 

TABLE D'HOTE. 

MARTINELLI RESTAURANT, 
136 5th Ave. -L 26. 



THEATRE TICKETS. 

JONAS, 



L 

'Y J- McBRIDE, 



Astor House. — J 30. 
71 Broadway.— 131. 



Providence & Stonington Steamship Co. 

STONINGTON LINE 

FAVORITE INSIDE ROUTE 

BETWEEN 

New York and Boston, 

Philadelphia, Baltimore, ) ( Providence, Worcester, 

Washington, \ ^ ) Nashua, Concord, 

SOUTH AND WEST. 1 f NORTH AND EAST. 



Steamers leave New "Sork from Pier 36, North River (oue block 
above Canal Street), at 4.30 p. m., daily except Sunday, connecting at 
Stonin^tun with trains for Providence, Boston, Worcester, and all 
principal points in New England and the Provinces. 

Express trains from Stonington direct to Boston. 

RECLINING CHAIR CARS FREE OP CHARGE. 



CONNECTIONS At Stonington for Watch Hill, Block Island 

(summer seasouj. New Loudon, and local points on N. Y., P. & B. System; 
at Kingston for Narragansett Pier; at Wickford Junction for Newport; 
at Providence for Woonsocket, all points on Worcester Division N. Y., P. & 
B. R. R., Old Colony, New York & New England R. R. ; at Worcester with 
Boston & Maine and Fitchburg Roads, for all points North, East, and 
West, Boston & Albany R. R. for the West; at Boston with all-rail and 
steamboat lines. 

Returning, Express Train leaves Boston from Park Square Station at 
6.30 p. m. 

Leave Worcester at 6.16 p. m., connecting at Stonington with steam- 
ers due in New York at 7.00 a. m., in season for all-rail or steamboat lines for 
the South and West. 

Tickets, Staterooms, Time Tables, and Information can be obtained 

IN NEW YORK CITY AT 



257 Broadway. 

261 Broad w^ay, cor. Warren St. 

944 Broadway, near 22d St. 

957 Broadway, cor. 23d St. 

1225 Bx-oadway. 

1323 Broadway, near 35th St. 

143 Bow^ery. 



Astor House Rotunda. 
Windsor Hotel, 5th Ave., cor. 47th St 
1170 9th Ave., cor. 72d St. 
264 W. 125th St., near 8th Ave. 
134 E. 125th St., cor. Lexington Ave. 
Cosmopolitan Hotel, W. Broadway, 
cor. Chambers St. 



At the Offices of the Line. New Pier 36, North River, Foot of Spring St., 
and on Board Steamers after 3.30 P. M. 

IN BROOKLYN AT 

4 Court St., near Fulton St., New York Transfer Co.'s Office. 

860 Fulton St., cor. Clinton Ave., New York Transfer Co.'s Office. 

98 Broadway, E. D., New York Transfer Co.'s Office. 



BOSTON OFFICES- Park Square Station and 207 Washington St. 



W. MILLER, O. H. BRIGGS, 

President. General Passenger Agent. 



THE STEAMERS 

lymouth ITrovidence 



-OF THE- 



pall I^iuer ijpe, 



The Kamotjis Biasiness: 



rand Pleasure Route 



BETWEEN NEW YORK AND BOSTON, 

Are conceded to be the Largest, Handsomest, and Most Per- 
fectly Equipped Vessels of their class in the World. 
They steer by steam, are lighted throughout by 
electricity, and, in every detail of equip- 
raent, more than meet every possible 
condition of the demands of 
first-class travel. 



Tickets via this Route are on Sale at all Principal Ticket Offices 
in the United States. 




PASSENGERS 



VIA 



Eiie Railway 

EN ROUTE TO T^ND ^ROT^^ 

NEW YORK 

SECURE EXCEPTIONAL ADVANTAGES IN 
CONVENIENT STATIONS. 



THERE IS A CHOICE OP EITHER THE 

UpfPOWN Stajpion 

AT WEST 23d STREET, 

Convenient to the Hotels, Theatres, and Retail 
Business Centre ; or the 

DOWNIPOWN SnTAfFION 

AT CHAMBERS STREET, 

In the heart of the Wholesale Business Region, and 
near to the City Hall, Post OflQce, Newspapers, etc. 



The Downtown Station adjoins the Sound Line Steamer Piers. 



W. C. RINEARSON, Gen'l Pass'r Agent. 



For California m Mexico 




HE "Santa Fe Route," from 
Chicago to California and 
Mexico, via Illinois, Iowa, 
Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, 
New Mexico, and Arizona, is by 
far the most fascinating and in- 
structive line of travel across the 
Continent. It presents a greater 
variety of rare scenery, a greater 
number of quaint and curious sights, and 
greater diversity of industrial, commercial, 
and social characteristics than any other 
route. The ever-changing variety of valleys, plains, 
mountains, lakes, rivers, cities, villages, and camps; the 
great bridges and other wonderful engineering achieve- 
ments; the factories, warehouses, elevators, packing- 
houses, stone quarries, smelters, mines, farms, ranches, 
and vineyards of Western commerce and industry; and, 
finally, the wonderful new settlements of the West, and 
the more wonderful old settlements of New and Old 
Mexico, are attractions which no traveler can afford to 
miss. The added consideration of track and equipment, 
equal to any in the United States, and rates as low as 
those of any competitor, combine to make the Atchison, 
Topeka & Santa Fe R. R., or the "Santa Fb Route," 
always and universally popular. For all information 

ADDRESS 

C. D. SIMONSON, A. W. MIDDLETON, 

General Eastei-n Agent, Eastern Passeng-er Agent, 

261 BROADWAY, NEW YORK. 



The Crandall 




sso.oo. 



No Agents. No Commissions. 



In consideration of the increasing demand for a 
standard two-handed Typewriter at a low price, we have 
abandoned the expensive method of selling through 
agents, and now offer the same machine (heretofore sold 
at 175.00), direct from Factory, to user at $50.00 net 
cash. Write us for catalogue, sample of work, and 
special features of the *' Crandall.'' 



ADDRESS 



THE CRANDALL MACHINE CO. 

New York, 353 Broadway. Chicago, 237 La Salle St. 

Factory, Groton, n. y. 



SAFETY FUND INSURANCE, 



NIAGARA 




Fire Insurance Company, 

135 BROADWAY, 



NEW YORK. 



LOSSES PAID SINCE ORGANIZATION, 

FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS. 



Cash Capital, -.---■ 
Reinsurance Reserve, . . . 

Outstanding- Liabilities, - - - 
Net Surplus, - - - - , - 

Total Assets, Jan. 1st, 1890, 



$ 500,000 

1,298,632 

302,520 

389,502 

$2^490,654 



All Policies of this Company are now issued under the 
N. Y. Safety Fund Law. 



PETER NOTMAN, Pres. THOS. F. GOODRICH, Vice-Pres. 

WEST POLLOCK, Secretary City Dept. GEO. C. HOWE, Secretary. 

CIIAS. 11. POST, Ase't Secretary. 



David Stewart, 
John Taylor Johnston, 
William H. Wisiier, 
Edward L. Heddeu, 
James R. Taylor, 



DIRECTORS. 

Peter Notman, 
James W. El well, 
Thomas G. Ritch, 
Thos. F. (Joodricii, 
William E.Teftt, 



J. Herbert Johnston, 
Auetm Corbiii, 
Georue A. Halsey, 
Chas. D. Farwell, 
Diimont Clarke. 



2.fc, ^ /V 



The Clyde Steamship Go 

NEW YORK, CHARLESTON, i FLORIDA LINE. 




For CHARLESTON, S. C, the South, and Southwest. 

For JACKSOI^VILLE, FLA., and all Florida Point: 

Appointed Sailing' Days from Pier 29, East River, N. Y., 

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, at 3 p.m 

THE ONLY LINE I'.ETWEEX 

NEW YORK ^ JACKSONVILLE, FLA., WITHOUT CHAN6! 

UN3UEPASSED PA3SENGEE ACCOMUODATIONS AND CUISINE. 

The fleet is composed of the following- elegant steamers: "ALGONQUIN " (New;, '" SEIk' 
NOIiE," "IROQUOIS," "YEMASSEE," " CHEROKEE,' " DELAWARE." 

Throug-h Tickets, Rates, and Bills of Lading- for all points South and Sovith-west 
Charleston, and all Florida points via Jacksonville. 

ST. JOHN'S RIVER LINE. 

Jacksonville and Sanford, Fla., and Intermediate Landings on th 

St. JOHN'S River. 

steamers "CITY OP JACKSONVILLE," " F. DE BARY, " "EVERGLADE," ai. 
"WELAKA." Sailing from Jaclvsonville daily, except Saturday, at 3.30 p. m., making dp 
connection with all railroads at Palatka, Astor, Blue Springs, and Sanford. Through Tickets ai. 
Bills of Lading at Lowest Kates to all interior i)oiiit8 in Florida. 

For fuither information apply to 

THEO. G. EGER, T. M., 5 BOWLING GREEN, NEW YORK. 

VTJVI. I>. CLYOE <Sc CO., G-EN'Iji A.GTS., 



5 Bowling Green, 

NEW YORK. 



12 South Wharves, 

PHILADELPHI. 



